Scammers continue to target local seniors

COLLEEN GREEN, The Standard

SCUGOG: At least one Port Perry resident received a fraudulant Enbridge Gas call last week. This senior would like residents to be aware of the scam and what to do if you are contacted.

The caller said they were an Enbridge Gas representative and that they needed to check the resident's furnace to see if it had any cracks. Then the alleged representative asked for the senior's address. That is when the resident became wary. If it had truly been Enbridge Gas they would have known their client's address.

According to Enbridge Gas they are aware of this type of scam and state on their website that they take phishing and spoofing attempts on their customers very seriously.

If you receive any sort of communication; an e-mail, a webpage, a text message, a phone call, that you suspect is not from Enbridge, please report it to Enbridge by forwarding the e-mail or webpage to stop-spoofing@enbridge.com. Sending this suspicious e-mail as an attachment is the best way for us to track it.

They also recommend that if you receive a suspicious phone call or voicemails to never provide personal or confidential information over the phone for someone who contacted you. Always hang up and call back using a phone number from a bill or from our website.

If you receive unsolicited calls from someone claiming to represent Enbridge, hang up and contact a customer service representative directly.

Enbridge councils residents that if you receive a suspicious email or text message where;

• The message begins with a generic greeting such as "Dear Customer" or "Dear Sir/Madam"

• The suspicious or unsolicited message contains links or attachments

• The message requests personal information, such as a credit card number or account password

• The link appears legitimate, but when you hover over or click on it, a different URL is displayed

Do not respond to them. Forward them directly to stop-spoofing@enbridge.com.

Enbridge can't promise to respond personally when you report a suspicious correspondence to stop-spoofing@enbridge.com. However, we will investigate all submissions with the highest priority.