Understanding fraud
Fraud can take many forms, such as fraudulent calls, suspicious text messages, or phishing emails. In most cases, fraudsters are looking to obtain personal information or trick you into acting quickly, in the hope of getting money, personal assets, or some other benefit.
These situations are becoming more and more frequent and can affect anyone.
The most common types of fraud
Here are some examples of common frauds:
- Fraudulent calls: calls in which a person impersonates an employee of an organization (bank, service provider, police, etc.).
- Fraudulent text messages (also known as smishing): messages with links or requests for urgent action.
- Phishing emails: fake emails aimed at stealing personal information.
- Identity theft: collection and use of personal information by someone claiming to be an employee of a company or a relative.
- Account fraud: unauthorized access to an account or attempted transfer (e.g., SIM card).
To learn more, go to:
How to recognize a fraud attempt
There are some signs that can help you recognize a fraud attempt:
- Urgent or threatening message or call
- Request for personal or confidential information
- Sending a suspicious link
- Requesting a validation code
- Unknown or unusual number
Videotron will never ask you for your password or a validation code by phone, email, or text message.
What to do immediately?
If you think you are dealing with fraud, here are the recommended steps to protect your personal information:
1- Stop the interaction
- Do not click on any links
- Do not respond to the message or call
- Do not provide any information
2- Secure your accounts
- Change your passwords (e-mail, bank, important accounts)
- Enable two-factor authentication
- Check recent logins on your accounts
Check out our tips for choosing a strong password.
3- Check your Videotron account
- Log in to My Account or your Customer Centre
- Check for any unusual activity
- Make sure your contact information is accurate
4- Report the situation, if necessary
- Report fraudulent text messages to 7726 (SPAM)
- Report a suspicious email or call
- Follow the steps in our support pages
Depending on the situation, especially if personal information has been compromised, additional steps such as monitoring your credit report may be recommended.
What to do according to your situation?
These actions help you quickly limit the impact of fraud and protect your information.
- Close the page immediately
- Do not download anything
- Change your passwords
Check out our tips for choosing a strong password.
- Change your passwords immediately
- Monitor your accounts (banking, credit card, etc.) for any unusual activity
- Contact the relevant organizations (bank, service provider, etc.)
Check out our tips for choosing a strong password.
We also recommend contacting credit reporting agencies (Equifax and TransUnion) to:
- review your credit report
- detect any suspicious activity
- add a fraud alert to your file, if needed
- Change your access information quickly
- Check if an account has been compromised
- Do not call the number back
- Block it on your device. See how to do this.
- If in doubt, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
- Check your recent activity
- Review recent changes (contact details, password, preferences)
- Watch for any unusual activity related to your account
- Change your access immediately
- Contact the relevant organizations (bank, service provider, etc.) if necessary
If personal information may have been compromised, we also recommend contacting credit reporting agencies (Equifax and TransUnion) to:
- monitor your credit file
- detect any suspicious credit applications
- add a fraud alert to your file if needed
How to protect yourself in the future
Here are some best practices to help you better protect yourself:
- Use strong and unique passwords
- Enable two-factor authentication
- Be vigilant against urgent messages
- Avoid sharing your personal information
- Use Call and Message Screening Options
