Canadian government warns of CERB text message scam

Jul 20 2020, 2:12 pm

The government of Canada has released a notice about Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) scams.

The notice draws awareness to a text scam that has been circulating, and includes a message saying “you have received a deposit for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.”

The government has warned not to reply to the text or click on the link. They have also suggested deleting the text, if you receive it, and warning others.

“Beware it is a scam,” the government said in its notice.

The government has posted information on how to recognize varieties of scams on its website. This information says that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) never uses text messages or instant messaging applications such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.

CERB was created by the federal government after they directed $24 billion to give money to Canadians who lost employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is not the first coronavirus scam that has occurred since the start of the pandemic. Fake face mask exemption cards have also circulated around Canada as different parts of the country have made wearing a mask mandatory inside all public spaces.

Irelyne LaveryIrelyne Lavery

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