Ontario police warn public of global COVID-19 scams

Fraudsters can mimic official health-care websites in attempt to steal personal information

Ontario residents need to guard against a wave of global health-care scams that are accompanying the COVID-19 crisis, police warn.

Of particular concern are sites mimicking legitimate Canadian health-care sites.

“It’s quite easy for them to mimic an Ontario website,” Det.-Sgt. Ted Schendera of the Ontario Provincial Police Anti-Rackets Branch said in a telephone interview.

The OPP issued a public alert on Wednesday warning the public to be wary of giving out any personal information online to strangers.

“The best defence is to question websites, emails or phone calls that appear to be legitimate,” the OPP bulletin says.

“Just say ‘NO’ if anyone contacts you and asks for any information regarding your health card number and/or your health card version code, bank account number, credit card information, driver’s license number or any other personally identifying information,” the bulletin continues.

“Simply end all contact with any companies or individuals who ask for this information.”

Of particular concern are bogus health information “harvest” sites designed to trick people out of sensitive personal information. Such sites often mimic health-care sites created by legitimate health services, the OPP warns.

Some of them are popping up online as GTA “virtual care” sites, Schendera said.

The OPP bulletin says that “some websites use sophisticated malware to trick people to supply personal information.”

“This information can be used to fraudulently bill for health-care services and commit identity theft,” the OPP statement continues. “Fraudsters are also attempting to extort money from victims, asking for upfront money before providing a service or for an administrative fee.”

Members of the public should also never download unfamiliar attachments in emails or on websites and realize that even websites and emails from familiar organizations can be imitated by criminals, the OPP says.

The OPP also warns members of the public to beware of any companies claiming to have a cure or prevention for COVID-19.

Schendera said that the sophisticated Ontario attacks are extremely tough to trace.

“They could be generated from all around the world, including Canada,” Schendera said.

His comments were similar to those in a new report by the international policing agency Europol.

“Cybercriminals have been very quick in devising modi operandi and tools to exploit the current crisis,” the report says. “Organized crime is highly adaptable and has demonstrated the ability to extract long-term gains from crises, such as the end of the Cold War or the global economic crisis.”

While the OPP bulletin did not identify specific crime groups behind the scams, the Europol report said that many of the attacks are from well-established crime groups.

The report notes that cybercriminals are also hawking bogus health protection equipment, such as masks, sanitizers and vaccines.

“Efforts to develop a vaccine against COVID-19 are ongoing around the world,” the report continues. “Scammers are already offering versions of such a vaccine online. However, once the development of a genuine vaccine has been announced, it is expected that counterfeiters and fraudsters will invest heavily in offering ineffective counterfeits of this vaccine especially online via different platforms and on social media.”

The Europol report says that criminals are targeting businesses and institutions as well as individuals and offers a bleak prediction for the future.

“Demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies will remain high, which means pharmacies, hospitals and suppliers of such goods will continue to be targeted,” the report states. “OCGs (organized crime groups) could increasingly try to target or infiltrate health care institutions to procure or divert medical supplies in high demand.”