A North Bay woman is thankful she did not lose hundreds of dollars after falling for a new cell phone scam that has been making its way across Ontario in the past year.
Helen says she received a call from an alleged Bell customer support worker offering her 40 per cent off her cell phone bill for two months along with a prize of a brand new Apple Watch worth close to $800.
She was convinced it was a legit call from Bell.
"He gave me his first and last name, he gave me his ID number, so it sounded legit, right," she said.
"And then after that, he asked me for my email address. I figured it wasn't a big deal, giving the email address, and somehow he hacked into my bell account."
However, Helen did admit he sent her a code that likely triggered the scam.
"I got a pass code from Bell and I was to tell him the pass code, so he did that on his side which I thought it was Bell," she recalls.
"He tells me that I'm going to get an Apple Watch deliver here to my house. And so I gave them the address and everything."
Two days later, Helen started to feel a bit suspicious so she decided to call Bell customer service. They told her it was a scam.
"They were telling me that, no, you won't be getting any Apple Watch or anything," she said.
The real Bell customer service representative told Helen that the fraudster had tried to order a new Google Pixel phone valued at over $400 through her account.
Thankfully for Helen, her account had been frozen before the phone order was processed.
Canadian technology website mobilesyrup.com addressed the scam back in February of 2024.
They noted that the scam is not isolated to Bell customers. Over the past year, customer forums on both Bell and Rogers have reports discussing similar scams.
David Wooley, Corporate Communications Officer with the North Bay Police Service, says they have heard about this scam before.
"The North Bay Police Service is aware of reports of recent frauds targeting members of our community in which scammers pose as representatives of cellular carriers offering discounted services or other financial benefits," he said.
Wooley says frauds like these have been reported throughout Ontario and can come in the form of a phone call, e-mail, or text message.
"The scammers will claim to work for cellular carriers and ask for personal information from victims. Phone numbers and e-mail addresses can be 'spoofed' to look like they come from official businesses," he said.
"If you receive a call like this, be aware that it could likely be a scam. Remember: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you receive a 'special' or 'one-time' offer that requires you to provide personal information or payment immediately, it is likely a scam. Hang up and call your cellular provider back at a known number to confirm whether the offer is real. Do not give out personal or payment information to someone contacting you unsolicited over-the-phone, by text, or by e-mail. Do not download attachments or click on links in unsolicited messages."
Helen is glad she didn't lose money or her phone service because of the scam. However, she hopes getting the message out will help someone else avoid getting fooled by scammers.
"I wanted to people to be aware. I know they're always saying the grandparent scam, but there's always, there's always something else that they're trying to do
For more ways to protect yourself and your loved ones, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website at: www.antifraudcentre-
If you have been the victim of a fraud, contact the North Bay Police Service at 705-497-5555 and press 5 to speak with an officer. Also report the incident to the Canada Anti-fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
