‘Must have bank card’ scam targets job seekers in Ontario

With the holidays upon us and the end of the year just around the corner, individuals facing layoffs or financial struggles may encounter a glimmer of hope in unsolicited job offers. Yet, it’s crucial to remain vigilant as these emails, text messages or phone calls could be another deceptive ploy devised by scammers.

The scam begins with a text message sent out to recipients, claiming to recruit for “various positions in different companies across Canada.”

It lists options such as contract work, full-time and part-time roles, and remote opportunities. However, red flags emerge in the requirements, including a “ba-nk card” and a minimum age of 23, along with poorly formatted text such as “Fu-ll-Time/Pa-rt-Time.”

The sender further states that once a candidate is “confirmed,” they will receive a list of positions and details, asking recipients to agree to have the “person in charge” contact them. This vague language and the sender’s anonymity may raise suspicions of a potential scam.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, a trusted authority on identifying and preventing scams, describes this as a smishing scam—similar to phishing but delivered via text messages.

The culprits will lure victims with freelance job opportunities to promote products, apps or videos using software they’ve developed.

Once a victim installs the software and creates an account, they are assigned “orders” or “tasks” to complete. To enhance the illusion of legitimacy, victims may even receive small payments or commissions initially, giving the impression that the job is genuine. However, as the scam progresses, the fraudsters often disappear, leaving victims unpaid for their efforts and potentially at a financial loss compared to what they were initially given.

The fraud prevention centre advises residents never to share personal information with unverified people or groups. This includes their name, address, birth date, social insurance number, and credit card or banking information.

Additionally, individuals should block the number and avoid responding to the message, as doing so could allow a scammer to obtain important personal information.