TORONTO —
Innovative scammers are using the coronavirus pandemic to come up with new ways to cheat Canadians out of their money and personal information.
The outbreak of COVID-19 has seen the spread of new scam techniques, capitalizing on prevailing fears and anxieties about the disease to dupe victims.
Carmi Levy, director of the London, Ont., based Info-Tech Research Group, told CTV’s Your Morning show Thursday about ways Canadians can protect themselves.
“They’re taking advantage of the fact that we’re all looking for something, we all want this to be over and we’re more likely to respond when we see something that appeals to that inner humanity,” Levy said.
“The first thing we have to do is simply resist the urge to respond to everything. If you don’t answer that email or don’t get back on that message or don’t click on that button or link, the world will not end.”
In a new coronavirus twist on the traditional ‘arrest warrant’ scam, Levy said fraudsters may use wording like ‘we saw you outside, you should be in quarantine, if we see you outside again there will be an arrest warrant issued for you.’
Other scammers may advertise what appear to be government programs or fake charity appeals to extract money from unsuspecting Canadians.
Scam sites selling cleaning products offering to ‘super-clean your house or office’ have also emerged during the pandemic.
“Clicking on the link will take you to a scam website and that’s where the hack begins,” Levy explained.
He recommends against responding to suspicious messages on a smartphone or tablet.
“Wait until you get back to your desktop or laptop computer, then you can use your mouse to hover over that link or button,” he said.
“Don’t click on it, it will pop-up what exactly that link is. Note it and if you’re working… report it to the helpdesk. Delete the message, report it as spam. Do not respond to it, because the instant you respond that’s when they get you.”
Levy advised, to avoid misinformation, people should know who the legitimate authorities are.
“There’s lots going around on social media, sometimes it’s hard to tell the legit from the not legit,” he said.
“You know Health Canada, CDC (Centers for Disease Control), WHO (World Health Organization), go to legitimate sources. Just because you saw it on the internet doesn’t mean it is in fact true. Resist the urge to share it, resist the urge to send it along.”
Health-care sector warned
Not even those on the front lines of the fight to stop COVID-19 are immune to scam attempts.
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security issued an alert Thursday warning that the pandemic “presents an elevated level of risk to the cyber security of Canadian health organizations involved in the national response to the pandemic.”
The organization suggested that hackers might attempt to infect these organizations’ computers with ransomware or other malware, and could also try to steal sensitive data around Canada’s response to the virus.
“The Cyber Centre recommends that Canadian health organizations remain vigilant and take the time to ensure that they are engaged in cyber defence best practices,” the alert reads.
It highlighted fraudulent health product claims that promise miracle cures to the coronavirus and added that it has received “numerous reports about scam websites claiming to sell face masks online.”
“The best way to avoid getting scammed is to buy them directly from a seller you know and trust,” BBB said in a press release.
“Be sure the online store has working contact information. Before offering up your name, address, and credit card information, make sure the company is legitimate. Look for a real street address and a working customer service number.”
“Fraudsters are creative and want to profit from consumers’ fears, uncertainties and misinformation,” the CAFC said in a news release issued Friday.
Among its tips was a caution about private companies offering COVID-19 tests, which are currently only available at hospitals, according to the CAFC.
Fraudsters going door-to-door offering decontamination services should also be avoided.
Public Health Agency of Canada
This week, Texas-based cybersecurity firm SpyCloud discovered that a hacker had created a fake website masquerading as a Public Health Agency of Canada web page.
“They even went so far as to create a fake CAPTCHA to make the site feel legitimate and put victims at ease,” the company said in an email to CTVNews.ca, referring to the picture test many websites use to distinguish human users from bots.
“When a victim completes the CAPTCHA, the website invites them to download a letter from a ‘medical officer of health’ on COVID-19.”
The company is being told customers are receiving calls during which a scammer says the account holder is in arrears and must pay immediately or power will be disconnected. The utility company provides consumer tips to avoid scams on its website.
According to a report issued by a California-based cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, the campaign used emails with bogus Microsoft Word attachments designed to install a type of malware known as AZORult.
AZORult has been around since at least 2016 and can be used to install ransomware, which is designed to lock legitimate users out of their computer systems until a ransom is paid.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
