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Text/email scam hits Abbotsford

Abbotsford police have received more than 20 reports of text/email messages trying to solicit personal information from recipients.
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Scammers have been bombarding Abbotsford phone numbers with text messages in recent days.

Abbotsford Police are warning the public about a pair of online scams that aim to trick people into revealing personal information that can be used to access victims' bank accounts.

Const. Paul Walker says the APD has received nearly two dozen complaints in recent days from residents who say they have received text and messages soliciting personal information. In one of the scam, a text purports to come from the Canada Revenue Agency. The message tells the person they have been sent an Interac e-Transfer and supplies a link that redirects the recipient to an authentic-looking website. There, one is asked to provide personal banking information to complete the transfer.

However, the transfer is never completed and the scammers make off with the personal banking information.

Another fraud that has been reported involves email or text messages stating that the recipient's TD online account has been suspended. A link is supplied that takes the recipient to a login screen, where personal information can be submitted. Again, the information provides the scammers with access to the online account.

Walker says the text messages originate from California and Oregon area codes.

Anyone with any doubts about the legitimacy of messages is encouraged to call the Canada Revenue Agency at numbers provided at the agency's website, at www.cra-arc.gc.ca/ntcs/bwr-eng.html.

To report a fraudulent text messages, residents can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or visit http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca