COVID-19 text scams targeting Quebecers by offering prizes, information

It seems several COVID-19-related text message scams have been hitting Quebecers' phones lately, offering anything from information to money.

In one con, Quebecers say they're getting text messages offering them money or prizes as a reward for getting their third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Others say they've received mysterious messages giving vague "information" about their booster shots.

A third hoax asks people to click on a link to view their isolation guidelines because they tested positive for COVID-19 -- even if they never actually went for a PCR test.

Quebec's Ministry of Health and Social Service said it does not offer financial rewards for vaccination and it doesn't send messages on the topic to the public.

⚠️ Attention: hameçonnage
Le MSSS n’offre aucune compensation financière pour la vaccination et n’envoie aucun courriel à ce sujet.
🚫Ne cliquer jamais sur un lien qui semble douteux
🚫Ne donner pas d'information personnelle à des demandes par texto, téléphone ou courriel

— Santé Québec (@sante_qc) January 27, 2022

The texts ask people to click on a link, usually something that looks like gouv.msss-qc.ca or msss.gouv-qc.ca, which is very similar to the Health Ministry's official website, which is msss.gouv.qc.ca.

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, there are currently dozens of known COVID-19-related scams, including "many frauds and scams [that] attempt to mimic real federal government services to gain access to your personal and financial information."

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security offers some tips for people to stay cyber-safe, including:

• Be cautious if the tone of the message is urgent or threatening;
• Look for typos;
• Don’t click on links or attachments from senders you don’t know;
• Use trusted anti-malware software;
• Check web addresses for spelling mistakes;
• Navigate to the page using a search engine instead of clicking on a provided link;
• Don’t submit login credentials or credit card details unless you are sure the web page is legitimate.

Anyone targetted by COVID-19-related fraud is asked to report it to the government.