Phone scams circulating, soliciting payment from Yukoners
CBC
Scammers are now attempting to trick Yukoners out of their hard earned money under the pretense of the Royal Canadian Legion and government Motor Vehicles Services.
Joseph Mewett, president of the local Whitehorse branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, said fellow legion members warned him about the scam so when he got a call asking him to donate to the Legion, he was ready.
“When we prompted them like, ‘what’s the money being used for? What's your name?’ Things like that, they wouldn't give any of that information," he said.
Mewett said that was a clear red flag, but he also knew this was a scam because the Royal Canadian Legion does not call individuals to ask for money.
"We collect our money through the poppy campaign for veterans," he said. "We sometimes do reach out to local businesses for donations when we're having a special event, or to sponsor Canada Day or something like that, but we do that in person," he said
Mewett said he reported the call to the RCMP, and was directed to also report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Yukoners are noticing a separate scam circulating where scammers are trying to trick people into providing their personal information over text messages claiming to be from Motor Vehicles Services.
Brittany Cross is a spokesperson for the Yukon's Department of Highways and Public Works. She also got a text message from the scammers.
"Basically, I got a text that indicates a person's drivers license has been suspended due to non-payment of traffic citations and it provides a link to pay and reinstate the license," Cross said.
Cross said in her job she works closely with the Yukon's motor vehicle office and knew immediately something wasn't lining up but she clicked the link anyways to see what would happen.
"It will take you to a spoofed page that looks like something from the government of Canada with a place to put in your license plate and a drop down where you select the territory," she said.
"But if you look at the URL it doesn't look like a typical government of Canada URL would look."
Cross warned the public to never click any links sent from an unknown number. She said Yukon’s Motor Vehicle Services never solicits any sort of payment via text.
On Monday, the RCMP issued a news release warning Yukoners of the scam involving the Royal Canadian Legion.
The P.E.I. Humane Society says it is doing far more fundraising than it used to, and rising expenses — including the cost of animal medications — are a big reason why.
Ottawa is staring down a court-ordered deadline to submit a new plan to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, as a group of First Nations leaders and children’s advocates prepare a competing proposal.
An underpass revitalization project that was meant to pay tribute to the people of Parkdale has instead deteriorated into “a garbage dump,” according to nearby residents.
A young man has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm after a fire at a frat party near Western University that injured five sorority sisters, including two seriously, late Tuesday night.
The massive deal to combine one of Hollywood's oldest studios with a streaming giant hasn't even been approved yet, but it's already riling multiple related industries and politicians concerned about monopolies and media concentration.
Mi'kmaq chiefs and a former Nova Scotia justice minister are criticizing the provincial government for directing police to crack down on illegal cannabis, saying the order undermines relations with Indigenous Peoples.
For years, there has been “glaring inequity” in the way the province has allocated the millions of dollars in its county roads budget, according to Department of Transportation Minister Chuck Chiasson.
Six months after passing a law aimed at making it easier for new grocery stores to open, Manitoba's premier says lower grocery bills could be on the horizon.
Timothy Smith was acting in self-defence when he punched Landon Waddell, and shouldn't be found guilty of manslaughter, his lawyer says.
Thoroughbred horse racing at Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is ending after more than a century, with the operator announcing Friday it will no longer run a racing season at the historic facility.
A memorial to remember lives lost to gender-based violence was held in Charlottetown Friday, ahead of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, which is marked annually on Dec. 6.
A Calgary dentist who defrauded five insurance companies over a decade should spend up to three years in prison, the prosecution argued Friday.
B.C. Conservation Officer Service says it has called off its search for a bear responsible for an attack on a group of school children in Bella Coola, B.C. on Nov. 20.