First, bread. Now, milk.
At the same time that a phishing scam related to Canada’s bread price-fixing settlement is going around, CBC News has learned people are being targeted by a similar scam involving dairy.
“The website looked really legit and very professional,” said David Coates, 71, of Sherwood Park, Alta.
“You can get sucked in quite easily.”
Coates is one of several Canadians who say they recently received a phishing text about a milk class-action settlement. The wording in the texts can vary slightly, but they all direct victims to click a link, which leads to a website asking for personal information and a credit card in order to process their supposed rebate.
Some who contacted CBC News said they ignored the text entirely. Some reported it as spam. One person provided their financial details and later cancelled their credit card. And some, like Coates, clicked the link, then realized it was likely a scam before they handed over any of their information.
“It just made me suspicious,” he said.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) says it has received 12 reports since March 25 of phishing texts claiming the victim is eligible for a payout in a Canadian milk class action. As the CAFC has previously emphasized, what they receive only represents about five to 10 per cent of frauds — even less with phishing.
But unlike the bread scam, there isn’t currently an actual, specific “Canadian Milk Class Action.” The closest resemblance may be a recent $6.5-million settlement for Canadians who bought or drank recalled plant-based milk linked to a listeria outbreak.
On the official website for that class action against Danone Canada, Wal-Mart Canada Corp., and Intact Insurance Company, a new update warns users that the claim process hasn’t yet begun, and in addition, the administrators say, they don’t send text messages, also known as SMS messages.
“If you receive any SMS message requesting personal or banking information, please treat it as suspicious and do not respond,” the notice reads.
The administrating body, Concilia, put up the warning out of an abundance of caution, just in case anyone thought the scam texts may be related to the actual plant-based milk settlement, said co-founder Moran Solomon.
“Bad actors are trying to lure the public into giving them information,” Solomon said.
No class-action or administrator in Canada will ever ask for your credit card information or banking information, said Joey Zukran, a Montreal lawyer with LPC Avocat Inc., who is representing class members in the plant-based milk class action.
“Not the first four digits. Not the last four digits. Not any digits,” he said.
“The text messages are 100 per cent fraud.”
As artificial intelligence advances, scams are becoming harder to detect. CBC’s Ali Chiasson speaks with Toronto police and tech experts about how fraudsters are using personal data and AI to trick victims — and what you can do to protect yourself.
From 902 area code
Generally, class members are paid settlements via an Interac e-transfer, which only requires your email address, or by cheque, Zukran said.
The same is true of the bread price-fixing settlement. Just like the milk scam, those texts urge victims to click a link and hand over credit card information. The CAFC has received 17 reports of the bread phishing text message since March 1, and in four of them, people indicated their credit cards had been compromised.
CBC News has viewed screen shots of four different phishing texts claiming to be about a milk class action. All of them come from a 902 area code, indicating they originated from phones registered in Nova Scotia or P.E.I.
The URLs all lead to canadamilksettlement.com, a website that now appears to be blocked with a “deceptive website warning” from Google.
Solomon, with Concilia, says most legitimate brand-to-consumer text messages come from what are called “short codes,” not full phone numbers. These five or six-digit numbers go through a strict vetting process, making them difficult to fake, he added.
Coates says the 902 area code was enough to make him suspect the text he received over the weekend might have been fake, but that it piqued his interest given the bread price-fixing settlement he knew was being paid out soon.
“They’re getting cleverer and cleverer, and more believable,” he said. “But giving up my credit card information? I don’t think so.”
Zukran, the lawyer, says he hears from victims of scams quite often in his profession. And it’s important that if you do fall for one, to take action. Too often, people, especially elderly people, feel ashamed, he said.
“Don’t give your financial info. But if you did, don’t be embarrassed to immediately tell somebody.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada says a third person has died in a Listeria outbreak connected to Great Value and Silk plant-based milks. The affected products include Silk brand almond milk, coconut milk, almond-coconut milk and oat milk, as well as Great Value brand almond milk with best-before dates up to and including Oct. 4.
