Residents of Brampton and Mississauga have become victims of a text message scam that purports to be linked to an online casino.
Local media outlets in Mississauga and Brampton have warned local residents of a new text message scam currently doing the rounds. The message addresses recipients by name and offers a welcome bonus of CA$1,000 if they click through on the provided link and register on the alleged gaming platform.
A local resident recently received this text message offering him a sizeable bonus once he signed up at the listed website. The man then contacted the local media to spread awareness of the scam and help protect others from having their personal information and accounts compromised by a tricky scammer.
Beware of Text Message Scams
According to the text message, the scammers offer an attractive welcome bonus to individuals who register. To make things more sinister, all the recipients are addressed by their full name in the message.
Authorities believe that the scammer could have gotten the information via a major Facebook leak in April that led to the personal data of over 533 million users getting leaked and posted on an infamous hacker forum. The leak included full names of users from over 106 countries, phone numbers, email addresses, and other personal information.
STAR Lottery Fraud
This is not the first time that Canadians have been subjected to an online scam. Some time ago, Albertan players received phone calls from fraudsters pretending to be reps of the STARS Lottery, who informed them that they’ve won a jackpot. But, for the victims to withdraw the prize, they were first required to send cash to the crooks.
The cuckolded preys were asked to send cash to an address in Kamloops, British Columbia. The scammers also asked them for information like personal or banking details, claiming that they needed these details to cash out of the supposed prize.
As a result of this incident, the RCMP warned everyone to never share their personal details with strangers via the phone or online. Crooks obtaining this information could lead to an even graver situation and not just the loss of a few bucks.
