Brand-spoofing, or phishing, tops the list of scams in British Columbia, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) revealed January 4.
Phishing uses emails, text messages and websites designed by criminals to appear to be from well-known and trusted corporate brands, like banks and credit card companies.
Consumers are urged to follow links or enter sensitive personal information.
The practice not only has the potential to deceive consumers, but it also can hurt a business’ reputation because the scammers often purport to be legitimate enterprises.
“Scammers are capitalizing by using false pretences to get our attention and steal our trust,” said BBB president and CEO Lynda Pasacreta.
The next top three scams are:
- charging an advance fee to get a loan;
- gold buying schemes that include a false appraisal;
taking advantage of an elderly person’s vulnerabilities.
Glen Korstrom
@GlenKorstrom