You’ve just received a call claiming you’ve won a prize. Something’s different this time though: it sounds legitimate compared to the other callers telling you that you’ve won a prize time and time again. First, there’s not a loud horn bellowing in your ear and congratulating you that you’ve won a “free cruise”. Second, they’re telling you it’s a prize from Air Canada. Come on now, that’s pretty legitimate, right?
Think again!
Similar to the vacation or “free cruise” scam, scammers are disguising themselves as Air Canada to lure victims into believing they’ve won a trip, vacation or mileage vouchers. The main goal for these scammers is to catch you off guard and grab your personal information or credit card number. Then, they’ll steal your money or fraudulently use your information.
Warning their customers, here are a few tips from Air Canada to keep in mind so you can avoid becoming a scammer’s next victim:
- Air Canada does not engage in phone promotions.
- If you are not aware of a contest, raffle, lottery etc. that you may have entered, then you probably didn’t. HANG UP immediately.
- Never share personal information or your credit card number with an unexpected caller.
- Report any instances like these to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
