Online scammers target Qiniq users in Western Nunavut

Looks legitimate doesn’t it? It’s not. SSI Micro is warning Nunavummiut users of Qiniq to beware fake surveys like this which are intended to scoop up your personal information and can lead to identify theft and theft of money online. (PHOTO COURTESY SSI MICRO)

Special to Nunatsiaq News

CAMBRIDGE BAY — You’re sitting at home surfing the net and you get a pleasant little surprise.

A window pops up onto your computer screen that says your internet service provider is willing to give you a credit on your account. The catch is that you have to complete a short, online survey.

The other that catch you don’t know about? It’s a scam to collect your personal information.

A pop-up phishing scam has been circulating throughout computers of Qiniq users in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories for the past month.

A Statistics Canada report released in 2012 and updated in 2015 says more than 156 million scam emails are sent out every day. About 16 million of those emails make it through spam filters and eight million are opened.

After that, about 80,000 people fall for the scams each day by offering up their personal information

These scams can steal personal identities, financial assets and credit card information, says William Ingarfield, the manager of internet services for SSI Micro Ltd.

“Someone is attempting to get information or scam people to get people to buy products to steal their information,” said Ingarfield.

“This one is very specific. It says something like ‘Hello Qiniq user in Cambridge Bay’ and it makes it look like Qiniq is offering a reward or a credit on the user’s account if they take a short survey.”

Ingarfield says scam emails are extremely common — but he doesn’t come across pop-up scams everyday. He says these are often very poorly written.

That’s the main tip-off when you see something unusual online or in your email inbox.

According to StatsCan, three per cent of Canadians have entered their banking information into an unknown site.

“This specific scam is something that a lot of people could have fallen for. This one jumped out for us as a little more threatening,” Ingarfield said. “This one is very well written and very well thought out.”

If something online seems too good to be true, it probably is, he said.

“If a website says it will give you a $400 iPad if you complete a two-minute survey, it’s safe to assume that it’s a scam,” Ingarfield said. “But if any of our customers are ever unsure of the legitimacy of something they see online, they can call our toll-free number at 1-877-686-2888.”

Most businesses will use direct phone calls to make sure you know who you are speaking to before they start asking for any of your information.

“There’s never going to be a time where we ask for personal information. We will never give out a survey like that,” Ingarfield said. “Definitely stay away from any of those.”