Cybercrime investigators caution Calgarians about latest phishing scam

Calgarians have lost about $1.2 million since the beginning of the year to phishing scams and police are warning citizens to take precautions to protect personal information online.

Calgary police say they have received a number of calls from concerned citizens over that last few weeks who say they have been contacted by scammers demanding money.

Investigators say the offenders email the victims and tell them that they have been recorded accessing a 'questionable' website. The offenders then threaten to publicize the information if the victim does not provide payment, typically through bitcoin. The scammers also claim to have the victims' login credentials to make the threat more believable.

Police say the offenders likely obtained the victims' credentials from other, unrelated data breaches where their password was compromised and that the scammers never actually gained access to the victims' computers.

People often use the same password for multiple accounts and use the same password for years, which can make them vulnerable to online scams.

Cybercrime investigators are reminding people to take precautions to protect their online accounts including;

Calgary police say Calgarians have been bilked out of over $1.2 million so far this year in phishing scams and that 75 per cent of that is from fake employment offers and the diversion of funds from corporate payroll and financial accounts.

Police say those who reported the phishing scams spotted a problem and did not lose any cash to scammers in this instance but that scams like this are often underreported.

To report online crime to Calgary Police, click HERE.