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How to Protect Yourself from Phone Fraud

While we’re often reminded about online safety, fraudsters also use the traditional phone line to try to gain access to your personal information. These phone scams – also known as vishing or voice phishing – can be just as harmful as Internet and email scams.

Read on for some tell-tale signs of phone phishing scams and tips on how to protect yourself.

Tips for protecting yourself

  • Be careful when sharing personal information. Be wary of impostors who might contact you via phone or email to collect personal information, credit card numbers and other details.

  • Never share your PINs and passwords. Use complex passwords that are hard to guess, but that you can remember easily.

  • Be wary of unsolicited offers and contests.

  • Don’t open unsolicited email messages.

  • Keep your computer’s operating system and firewall up to date.

Remember, Xplore will never ask for your personal information over email.

How can I recognize a vishing attempt?

With vishing, the scammer will attempt to gather your personal or financial details over the phone instead of through email. A scammer may call to sell you new rate plans (which are not real), ask you to complete a survey or tell you that they’re updating your account and want you to verify details.

What should I do if I’ve received a suspicious phone call from Xplore?

Please do not provide personal information if the caller sounds suspicious. When possible, record the phone number that appeared on your call display, then contact Xplore at 1-866-841-6001 or support@xplore.ca to report the call. We will then be able to determine if the call was legitimate.

Xplore could ask for the following details:

  • Account ID

  • Phone number

  • Full address

  • Email address

In some instances, our team may ask you for credit card information if no banking info has been provided and your payment is due. If you prefer, these payment details can be updated here on MyXplore.ca.

Xplore will not ask you for the following:

  • Social Insurance Number

  • Previous or current credit information on file

How can I tell if a telemarketing call is not from an Xplore representative?

  • We will never use abusive, unprofessional, or derogatory language.

  • Our representatives will never refuse to give you their name.

  • Our representatives will not ask you for SIN or detailed credit information.

What should I do if I receive a fraudulent telemarketing call from someone who claims to be from Xplore?

  • Report to us immediately.

  • If you verbally provided any PIN or password associated with your account, change it immediately.

  • Try to capture as many details as you can about the call:

    • Date and time of the call

    • Phone number calling from

    • Callback number (if one was provided)

What should I do if I’ve received a suspicious phone call from a caller claiming to represent another company?

Please do not provide personal information to the caller. Instead, report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre:

What is Call Blocking or Call Filtering or Call Screening?

Part of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) effort to protect Canadians against certain types of unwanted calls was to mandate Canadian carriers to block/filter/screen calls when call display information is blatantly inaccurate.

Xplore Home Phone will allow you to block, filter or screen calls

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