Scams

The voice you hear on the other end of your phone call may not be who you think it is, the person you’re texting with may really be a bot and the face in a photo or video on your favourite dating app may not even exist. Technological advancements in artificial intelligence create the potential to fuel romance scams, said Jeff Clune, an associate professor of computer science at the University of British Columbia. A young person uses a smart phone in Chicago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP

Online romance scammers may have a new wingman — artificial intelligence

AI can be harnessed to mimic voices and faces

 

Derek Lints wipes away tears as he speaks about his son Daniel, 17, at his home in Pilot Mound, Man., on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. Daniel Lints was sexually exploited online in February and committed suicide as a result. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

“World lost a good person:” Parents warn of global sextortion targeting teens

17-year-old was coerced into sending an explicit image to who he thought was a woman on Snapchat

 

(File photo)

Online purchases, dicey cryptocurrency schemes top Better Business Bureau’s riskiest scams

The anti-fraud agency has been tracking fraud trends with their online Scam Tracker since 2015

 

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How to tell if a call from ‘CRA’ is legitimate or a scam

Expert says it’s important to verify you really are dealing with the CRA before you give out any info

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The Canada Revenue Agency sign outside the National Headquarters at the Connaught Building in Ottawa is seen on Monday, March 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

CRA to lock over 800,000 taxpayers out of online accounts tomorrow

Tax agency says some usernames and passwords may have been obtained by ‘unauthorized third parties’

The Canada Revenue Agency sign outside the National Headquarters at the Connaught Building in Ottawa is seen on Monday, March 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
The Noom app displayed on the Apple App Store on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (Apple App Store)

Better Business Bureau issues warnings over billing for weight loss app Noom

Bureau warned customers to read terms carefully when they sign up for a free trial, especially for health and wellness apps.

The Noom app displayed on the Apple App Store on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (Apple App Store)
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has received over 100 recent scam complaints linked to COVID-19, in an April 2, 2020 story. (File photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Fake test kits and other COVID online scams play on public anxiety: fraud centre

Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre receiving more complaints

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has received over 100 recent scam complaints linked to COVID-19, in an April 2, 2020 story. (File photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Albertans are being warned to be even more cautious now regarding schemes surrounding investment fraud. Image: ASC

Public warned of increase in investment scams

ASC urges caution amidst uptick in COVID-19 related scams

Albertans are being warned to be even more cautious now regarding schemes surrounding investment fraud. Image: ASC
(leakhena khat/Flickr)

When was the last time you changed your important passwords?

For National Password Day, and the BBB has some tips for increasing your online security

(leakhena khat/Flickr)
FILE - This Aug. 2, 2018, file photo shows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration building behind FDA logos at a bus stop on the agency’s campus in Silver Spring, Md. U.S. regulators warned several companies to stop selling soaps, sprays and other concoctions with false claims that they can treat the new coronavirus or keep people from catching it. The warnings were emailed Friday, March 6, 2020, to companies based in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. and were announced Monday. Nearly all the targeted companies had complied by Monday morning, with mentions of the virus or products to treat it taken off their websites. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Canadian company among seven warned by FDA over false coronavirus claims

Owner of Vivify said in an email that the company ‘simply sells herbs with no claims on them’

FILE - This Aug. 2, 2018, file photo shows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration building behind FDA logos at a bus stop on the agency’s campus in Silver Spring, Md. U.S. regulators warned several companies to stop selling soaps, sprays and other concoctions with false claims that they can treat the new coronavirus or keep people from catching it. The warnings were emailed Friday, March 6, 2020, to companies based in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. and were announced Monday. Nearly all the targeted companies had complied by Monday morning, with mentions of the virus or products to treat it taken off their websites. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
Fans pay their respect at a memorial for Kobe Bryant near Staples Center Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, in Los Angeles. Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Watch out for scams, clickbait in the wake of Kobe Bryant’s death: Better Business Bureau

Kobe Bryant and his daughter were killed in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles

Fans pay their respect at a memorial for Kobe Bryant near Staples Center Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, in Los Angeles. Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
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