Learn more about phone scams and calls and how you can report them as a Shaw customer. Every year, thousands of people lose money to telemarketing scams. The goal of these scams is to obtain your personal information in order to access private account details and banking information.

Shaw has received numerous complaints from concerned citizens saying that they have received phone calls from someone posing as a Shaw agent and asking for personal information. Below, you will find information on how to identify these fraudulent callers, and what to do if you believe you have received one of these calls.

How to use spam call blocking

Shaw offers a spam call-blocking feature which can be activated on your home phone service. Spam call blocking helps to filter out unwanted calls made to your Shaw home phone. With this feature activated, we'll automatically detect and block suspicious calls, including those from unregistered telemarketers.

To learn more about spam call blocking and how to use it, read How To: Use spam call blocking.

How to identify scam callers

You can often identify scam calls because they will typically originate from a blocked caller ID, or from overseas. Under CRTC rules, all outgoing calls from Shaw must be identifiable by a local or toll-free phone number and will never appear as a blocked or overseas caller ID. Here are some additional things to look for:

  • Some scam calls can even show your own phone number as the incoming caller.
  • The caller may claim a variety of reasons for contacting you, including updating your account or billing information, or they are offering customer reward incentives, and they will ask for your banking or account details in order to do so. Additionally, with this type of scam call, a recorded voice may answer the phone before being transferred to a live representative.
  • Legitimate Shaw agents will have your account information on-hand and will always confirm it with you for identification purposes.
  • A Shaw agent will never ask for bank account or credit card information to confirm your identity, and this information should not be volunteered until the identity of the caller has been confirmed.

If you feel that the caller is not legitimate, simply hang up and do not engage in the conversation. See the following section for additional tips you can use to protect yourself.

Law Enforcement Tips

To better protect yourself from Landline Phone Scams and phone scams in general, we received the following tips from law enforcement:

  • A legitimate financial institution will never call a person and seek their assistance in conducting an investigation, especially if the “investigator” requires the victim to make a purchase at the direction of the caller.
  • Wait approximately thirty seconds and ensure you hear a dial tone and that the phone line has truly gone dead calling a verified phone number, especially if directed by an unidentified caller.
  • Be cautious of what information you provide to a caller.
    • A scammer will often prompt you to provide them with information and then use that information later in the call to appear legitimate.
    • Never give out personal information to people you don’t know and trust.
  • If in doubt, if something doesn’t seem right, or if the caller is pushing you to do something, hang up and speak with a trusted friend, family member, or co-worker before doing anything. An objective perspective will often shed light on fraudulent activity.
  • Gift cards will never be used by a legitimate business as a method of payment.
  • No legitimate business will request you to send cash by mail.

Again if you do not feel that the call is legitimate, simply hang up.

What to do if you receive a fraudulent call

If you feel that your bank account, credit card or Shaw account information may have been compromised, you should take steps to secure your accounts by contacting the concerned company immediately.

Please report any potential fraudulent calls claiming to be from Shaw to a Shaw representative by contacting us directly at 1-888-472-2222, or through one of the alternative contact methods found here: Contact Us

For further information about this type of phone scam, please visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/

Calls coming from your own phone number

Issue: We've recently had a number of concerns from customers receiving phone calls which appear to be coming from their own telephone number. These calls are fraudulent, and the caller will likely request personal information if answered. If you notice a call coming in which displays your own telephone number on call display, we urge you not to answer it.

Please be advised that we are aware of and investigating this issue. However, it is affecting multiple telephone service providers, and may not be prevented immediately.

Action: If you happened to have answered one of these calls and provided any details pertaining to your Shaw Email address or My Account login information, please proceed to update the passwords for those accounts as soon as possible.

How to Change Your Email Password
How to Change Your My Account(My Shaw) Password

Note: Caller ID spoofing is currently being investigated through the CRTC to determine the best course of action. They have launched a public consultation, so if you would like to participate in sharing your thoughts or experiences with this topic, you can do so on the CRTC page here.

Examples of fraudulent calls

Here is an example of a fraudulent call that has happened in the past:

WestJet phishing scam calls: Some Shaw Home Phone customers have reported receiving unsolicited calls from an operator claiming to represent WestJet Airlines. The calls are operated electronically to reach numbers that may be private or unlisted. The automated message will state that you’ve won some prize or are eligible for a giveaway. WestJet has confirmed that these calls are scams and will try to connect you with a live agent who will ask you to disclose personal information like credit card numbers or personal account data.

More information from WestJet can be found here.


Fraudulent Revenue Canada calls: 
Some Shaw Home Phone customers have reported receiving unsolicited calls from an operator claiming to represent the Canadian Revenue Agency. The callers will attempt to convince victims that they owe tax money and could face fines, asset seizure and the risk of arrest. The tone of these calls will be unreasonable, aggressive and the fraudsters will try to take immediate payment over the phone.

The Canada Revenue Agency (as well as the Police for several major Canadian cities) has confirmed that these calls are scams and they instruct anyone who receives such a call to hang up and report the call to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Do not engage or provide the callers with any information, financial or otherwise. Official posting from the Canada Revenue Agency.

 

Fraudulent Shaw calls: Some Shaw Home Phone customers have reported receiving unsolicited calls from an operator claiming to work for Shaw. Callers will attempt to gather date of birth and other personal information including account number. These callers may also attempt to offer discounts in return for confirming this information, or sending e-transfers to malicious email addresses.

If unsure if the caller is from Shaw, check the number they are calling from, and hang-up to call Shaw. We will be able to confirm if the deal is legitimate. Never disclose any account information if the call is suspicious.

The best course of action for any call you receive in which they attempt to scam you is to hang up and report the call to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

 
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