This is an advisory about a recent scam attempt.

On December 12th a Saanich man received a text message on his phone saying that his phone had been “hacked”.  The message then told the man to send all his bank and credit card information.   If he didn’t, he was threatened that he would be the victim of identity theft.

Rather than playing into this scam, the man did the right thing.  He contacted his credit card companies and phone service provider to suspend or cancel his accounts.  He then contacted police.

This scam is similar to the Online Blackmail Scam, which is on the rise.  Consumers online will receive a demand for money.  The threat is that embarrassing or damaging information will be posted online if they don’t pay.

If you are a user of instant messaging, social networking sites or videoconferencing sites, be aware that any personal information and images you share, may be used against you.

(09-30862)