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Vancouver Sun
26-06-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Scammers now impersonating senior government officials and CEOs to swindle Canadians
OTTAWA — If your boss's name appears on your phone, don't assume that's who is calling you. In a rare joint statement issued Monday, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), part of Canada's cyberdefence agency, said that scammers are now using artificial intelligence to impersonate senior government officials by phone or text. Spoofing government officials' phone numbers or voices, they contact other public sector leaders or C-suite business leaders with fake urgent requests for money transfers or asking them to open a malicious link. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The goal is to steal money, sensitive information or install malware on organizations' computer networks, says the CCCS. The scam is yet another way that fraudsters are harnessing AI to impersonate government officials and organizations to make their schemes more believable. In one case, a Canadian individual received a fraudulent message purporting to come from a U.S. government official requesting a 'large transfer of money under the pretence of an urgent government-related matter,' said spokesperson Cyber Centre spokesperson Janny Bender Asselin. Asselin declined to say who the recipient was, if they were a government or business executive or if the money was ever transferred to the scammer. Neither CCCS nor CAFC responded to questions about which government officials or C-suite executives are either being impersonated or targeted by this new malicious cyber scam. But the advisory is clear: if you receive a message or call from someone purporting to be a high-ranking government official or even your employer's CEO demanding you do something urgent and unusual, it could be a scam. Even if the voice sounds like them. The warning says the latest scam appears linked to an ongoing campaign in the U.S. that was flagged by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) last month. The FBI said that since Apri l, scammers have been impersonating 'senior US officials' and contacting other current or former top federal and state American government workers. They then purport to send a link to move the conversation to another messaging app, but the URL actually infects their device with malware. 'The malicious actors have sent text messages and AI-generated voice messages — techniques known as smishing and vishing, respectively — that claim to come from a senior US official in an effort to establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts,' the FBI warned. 'If you receive a message claiming to be from a senior US official, do not assume it is authentic.' For the head of the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange, Jennifer Quaid, these types of scams have become so prevalent that she now suggests to private sector workers that they shouldn't always believe that it's their boss that's calling when the number appears on their phones. 'Never assume it's your boss,' she told National Post. 'I would give a CEO, a CFO and my 21-year-old daughter exactly the same advice: stop and think about it. Take a minute to think about what the request is, and then say, 'I will call you back' and reach out to that person using another known channel of communication,' she added. 'If your boss is serious about wanting you to transfer $20 million, I don't think they're going to object to your saying, 'I will call you right back'.' Just in the first three months of 2025, the Anti-Fraud Centre says it has received nearly 13,000 reports of fraud generating over $165 million in losses for 9,092 victims. But as always, that is only the tip of the iceberg as the vast majority of victims don't report the crime to authorities. Both the Cyber Centre and Quaid say AI has tremendously boosted criminals' ability to make their scams more believable. But Quaid also believes that threat actors not being constrained by legal AI guardrails has allowed them to harness AI faster and more effectively than businesses trying to defend themselves. 'They're not using it with rules. We have rules, and I want to be very clear, rules are a very good thing,' Quaid said of scammers. 'But they are operating in a criminal environment without rules, without regard to due process and without regard to privacy, and that's why they're able to do more with some of these tools than we are.' In recent weeks, government agencies have increasingly warned Canadians that scammers are spoofing their phone numbers to appear legitimate. Spoofing allows fraudsters display a fake number on a phone's caller ID. Even organizations like the Communications Security Establishment, the country's cyberdefence agency, have not been spared. 'If you receive a suspicious call from our media number, please know it is not a legitimate call,' the agency wrote on social media last week . 'Spoofing lets scammers display a legitimate number, even though they have no connection to the organization. This isn't always impersonation, but it's still misleading and can create confusion.' National Post cnardi@ Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
26-06-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Scammers now impersonating senior government officials and CEOs to swindle Canadians
Article content OTTAWA — If your boss's name appears on your phone, don't assume that's who is calling you. In a rare joint statement issued Monday, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS), part of Canada's cyberdefence agency, said that scammers are now using artificial intelligence to impersonate senior government officials by phone or text. Article content Spoofing government officials' phone numbers or voices, they contact other public sector leaders or C-suite business leaders with fake urgent requests for money transfers or asking them to open a malicious link. The goal is to steal money, sensitive information or install malware on organizations' computer networks, says the CCCS. The scam is yet another way that fraudsters are harnessing AI to impersonate government officials and organizations to make their schemes more believable. In one case, a Canadian individual received a fraudulent message purporting to come from a U.S. government official requesting a 'large transfer of money under the pretence of an urgent government-related matter,' said spokesperson Cyber Centre spokesperson Janny Bender Asselin. Asselin declined to say who the recipient was, if they were a government or business executive or if the money was ever transferred to the scammer. Article content Neither CCCS nor CAFC responded to questions about which government officials or C-suite executives are either being impersonated or targeted by this new malicious cyber scam. But the advisory is clear: if you receive a message or call from someone purporting to be a high-ranking government official or even your employer's CEO demanding you do something urgent and unusual, it could be a scam. Even if the voice sounds like them. The warning says the latest scam appears linked to an ongoing campaign in the U.S. that was flagged by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) last month. The FBI said that since Apri l, scammers have been impersonating 'senior US officials' and contacting other current or former top federal and state American government workers. They then purport to send a link to move the conversation to another messaging app, but the URL actually infects their device with malware. Article content 'The malicious actors have sent text messages and AI-generated voice messages — techniques known as smishing and vishing, respectively — that claim to come from a senior US official in an effort to establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts,' the FBI warned. 'If you receive a message claiming to be from a senior US official, do not assume it is authentic.' For the head of the Canadian Cyber Threat Exchange, Jennifer Quaid, these types of scams have become so prevalent that she now suggests to private sector workers that they shouldn't always believe that it's their boss that's calling when the number appears on their phones. 'Never assume it's your boss,' she told National Post. 'I would give a CEO, a CFO and my 21-year-old daughter exactly the same advice: stop and think about it. Take a minute to think about what the request is, and then say, 'I will call you back' and reach out to that person using another known channel of communication,' she added. Article content 'If your boss is serious about wanting you to transfer $20 million, I don't think they're going to object to your saying, 'I will call you right back'.' Just in the first three months of 2025, the Anti-Fraud Centre says it has received nearly 13,000 reports of fraud generating over $165 million in losses for 9,092 victims. But as always, that is only the tip of the iceberg as the vast majority of victims don't report the crime to authorities. Both the Cyber Centre and Quaid say AI has tremendously boosted criminals' ability to make their scams more believable. But Quaid also believes that threat actors not being constrained by legal AI guardrails has allowed them to harness AI faster and more effectively than businesses trying to defend themselves. 'They're not using it with rules. We have rules, and I want to be very clear, rules are a very good thing,' Quaid said of scammers. 'But they are operating in a criminal environment without rules, without regard to due process and without regard to privacy, and that's why they're able to do more with some of these tools than we are.' Latest National Stories
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Yahoo
Vintage 70-year-old train horns stolen, Marinette County community offering reward
WAUSAUKEE, Wis. (WFRV) – Train horns were stolen from two historic locomotives in Wausaukee just off of U.S. Route 141 late last week, according to train enthusiasts. The horns are valued at about $2,000 per set, and one train is 70 years old while the other is 55. 'They took both train horns off both locomotives,' Jason Asselin, of the Jason Asselin YouTube channel, said. '[The crew] got on the train, they started it, got up to the crossing, and wouldn't you be surprised: the horns didn't work.' De Pere Police Department investigating multiple graffiti incidents Asselin says the alleged crime occurred Thursday night or early Friday morning. He explained that the criminal would have needed to have a thorough knowledge of the train, be equipped with the right tools to cut the wires and remove the horns. 'These horns were vintage antiques,' he said. 'They had a special sound to them. You could be off the highway somewhere and know what locomotive was coming down the rail. And now it's probably not going to be the same.' The horns have been replaced, as it is federal law that trains have working horns and that they blare them when crossing roadways. 'You don't see these trains unless they're in a museum,' Asselin, who has been documenting Wisconsin railways for years, said. 'They don't use them anymore. So the fact that this railroad still uses them, it's quite an attraction to many rail fans.' The locomotives are engines 1221 and 400 of the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad, which runs from Channing, MI, in the Upper Peninsula to Green Bay. Much of the work they are used for is delivering shipments of siding from Louisiana Pacific out of Sagola, MI, according to Asselin, and they run five days a week. This is not the first crime that has occurred on the northeastern Wisconsin-upper peninsula railway. '1980, a theft occurred at Wells at their main depot where the building was. And rail fans were blamed for it,' Asselin said. 'So for a long time, [the railway] kind of had a hate toward rail fans, which, can you blame them?' Now, Asselin is hoping for a different outcome. He has raised a reward of more than $700 for information resulting in the return of the horns, along with other rail fans, as he hopes their reputation will not only be spared but strengthened amid this crime. 'Please slow down and arrive alive': Wisconsin State Patrol urges people to slow down after clocking driver at 115 mph 'I wanted to show the railroad that rail fans couldn't have done this. A rail fan enjoys hearing the horns, they love the vintage, they want to see it. Stealing a horn has no purpose, what would you do with it?' he said. 'I don't think it was a rail fan that did it. And maybe this small token of appreciation will show them that we do care.' Anyone interested in pitching in to the reward can contact Jason through his YouTube and social media channels. If the horns are not found or returned, the money will still be donated to the railway. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump tariff threat creates opportunity for Canada 'to become much more resilient'
The 30-day reprieve from Trump tariffs announced this week may have come as welcome news for consumers and businesses alike. But ongoing uncertainty will continue to weigh on investments and should be a wake-up call for policymakers and businesses, experts say. Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on non-energy imports from Canada, and a 10 per cent duty on Canadian energy. Late Monday afternoon, he walked back the threat, agreeing to a pause for at least 30 days while the two countries work on border-related issues. While the reprieve may have avoided a worst-case tariff scenario, Robert Asselin, senior vice-president of policy at the Business Council of Canada, says it's 'not much of a relief' for businesses. 'The uncertainty itself creates a situation where we don't really know what we're faced with going forward. It's almost like a tariff is already in place,' Asselin said in an interview with Yahoo Finance Canada. 'Maybe it's not 25 per cent. I'll quantify it as maybe 10 per cent. Essentially, investors in this climate of uncertainty… are just going to wait for more clarity, for more certainty.' But he says the reprieve is 'absolutely a wake-up call,' particularly for policymakers. 'In a situation like this, there's an opportunity to become much more resilient, and do the stuff that we've been complacent about on economic growth that will allow us to get through this crisis,' Asselin added. 'I think what we are lacking right now is an economic plan that will put us on a path so that we don't have these dependencies, where we go through these existential crises with the U.S.' That's a message echoed by the Chamber of Commerce. In a speech given in Winnipeg on Tuesday, president and CEO Candace Laing called for the government to reconvene Parliament and focus on addressing 'the critical roadblocks that have until now left us far too dependent on trade with the United States.' These include identifying and removing internal trade barriers, expanding trade infrastructure to help reach more overseas markets, reducing red tape, and lowering taxes on businesses and individuals so as to be competitive with the U.S. In the meantime, many businesses have been preparing for the possibility of tariffs since shortly after Trump was elected, says Colin Mowatt, a tax policy leader at PwC Canada. Mowatt works with large public and private companies, including multinationals and private equity funds, largely in the engineering, construction and product industries. 'Unfortunately with tariffs, there's no quick fix,' he said in an interview with Yahoo Finance Canada. 'There are so many variables, you have to get good at scenario planning.' Mowatt says that for some of the companies he works with, the 30-day pause will allow them to prepare more for the possibility that blanket tariffs are enacted, by stockpiling materials or moving products into the U.S. in advance of the tariffs. 'Now, they have a much better, clearer idea of what these tariffs may be,' Mowatt said, noting that many companies had assumed the tariffs would be more selective and not blanket tariffs, as was proposed by Trump. But for many companies, particularly those involved in just-in-time manufacturing, stockpiling and moving products in advance isn't possible. 'One thing that companies are doing in this intervening period is getting their ducks in a row around cash and starting to think about any cost optimization they can do,' Mowatt said. 'One of the dynamics is they're going to want to accumulate some cash and reconsider (acquisitions.) For a lot of companies, it's not just the tariffs but the low Canadian dollar that has increased the cost of acquiring so many things. They now have to factor that into their business planning.' National Bank geopolitical analyst Angelo Katsoras said in a note on Monday the longer the threat of tariffs and trade negotiations persist, "the riskier investing in Canada and Mexico will become for companies looking for guaranteed access to the U.S. market." He says the ongoing threat will "create uncertainty that could have a profound long-term impact on the stability businesses need to make investment decisions." Asselin compares the current situation Canada is facing with the U.S. to going through a personal hardship. 'At the beginning it's hard, but you come out of it in much better shape,' Asselin said. 'I think Canada has the resolve, the pride, the talent and resources to get through this. We are not a third-rate country, we are a G7 country. We can pull through this. It will be difficult, but you need resolve and you need a plan.' Alicja Siekierska is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on X @alicjawithaj. Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android. Sign in to access your portfolio
