A senior from Saskatoon is warning others to be vigilant after losing $10,000 in a complex scam that started with an alert on her Apple iPad.
Jeannette Roy, who is usually good at spotting scams, was tricked by a seemingly genuine alert that warned her of a compromise to her device, she told CTV News.
“It told me I was being compromised. It said do not use any of my electronic devices and there was a number to call Apple support,” said Roy. A man, claiming to be from Apple support, told her a shocking lie that her account was being hacked by Russian hackers to buy child pornography.
The fake Apple support worker connected her to a supposed TD Bank fraud investigator, who convinced her to withdraw her money to prevent the hackers from accessing it. Frightened by the scammer’s claims, Roy complied, withdrawing money from two branches and an ATM, then depositing funds into a Bitcoin ATM at a nearby convenience store.
By the time she got home, she realized something was wrong and immediately contacted her bank and the police. Unfortunately, it was too late. Now, she’s trying to spread awareness about this new type of scam.
TD Bank issued a statement reminding customers to always be honest with branch staff, who are the first line of defence in helping protect their money. The Saskatoon Police Service also urged the public to be vigilant against possible fraud, emphasizing the importance of maintaining control during suspicious calls or emails.
Reflecting on her experience, Roy said, “This whole experience has taught me, you do not trust anyone. You just cannot trust anybody. And it’s a terrible thing in our society that we have to live like that.”
It’s unclear where the original alert came from on her iPad. It could have been from a phishing attempt via email, or even a spam message from iMessage. When in doubt, always call the number on the back of your credit card or debit card to speak with your bank, if someone is calling you claiming to be from a financial institution (better yet, just never answer the phone).
