Toronto Police file photo.
Toronto police say they stopped a telecom impersonation scam before a victim could lose approximately $2.9 million, after an Edmonton police alert sent officers to the person’s home on November 5.
No money was transferred, police said. The figure represents a potential loss, rather than stolen funds recovered.
The warning follows a string of Canadian telecom scams, including fake Rogers, Telus and Virgin calls linked to about $20 million in Edmonton losses. That separate investigation involved discounted-phone offers and bogus return instructions. Thunder Bay police recently warned about similar phone shipments being redirected to scammers.
In this case, police say a caller posed as a major telecom company’s representative, claiming neighbourhood service upgrades required a computer-based internet speed assessment.
The victim installed UltraViewer, which allows remote computer control. The caller then claimed to find viruses and directed the victim to online banking, supposedly to check for unauthorized withdrawals.
Officers interrupted a video call as the victim accessed banking. The suspects hung up, but signs of remote access remained.
Phone-return scams can leave customers responsible for devices they never kept, while the initial offer sounds like an ordinary carrier promotion. The B.C. Rogers customer left owing more than $4,000 after sending phones to a third-party address illustrates that risk.
It also echoes earlier Toronto warnings about bank and telecom impersonation: callers manufacture a problem, then position themselves as the person who can fix it. Those warnings stressed that knowing personal details doesn’t make a caller trustworthy.
Hang up and contact your provider using the number on your bill or its official website. Check unfamiliar orders through the carrier’s official app, and verify any return label directly with the company before shipping a device.
Police advise against installing remote-access software for unexpected callers or banking with a stranger connected. If access was granted, disconnect the computer from the internet, contact your bank from another device and get professional computer help before banking again.
Have you received a call offering to improve your internet service or fix a computer problem?
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How on earth anyone still falls for this is beyond me. It’s so widely known it’s like saying you didn’t know water is good for you.
then again people buy the same water they get out of their taps for free.