The Nova Scotia Securities Commission has recently been advised of a phishing scheme, possibly targeting clients of Assante Wealth Management. At least five Assante clients in Nova Scotia have received telephone calls from individuals purporting to be company representatives, from the telephone number: (600) 233-1234.
As of yet, we do not know if this scam is targeting Assante clients specifically or the general public. Assante is unaware of any security breaches that may have lead to any confidential information being released.
Phishing is the criminally fraudulent act of fooling victims into releasing sensitive information such as account numbers, usernames, or passwords, by pretending to be someone you are not, or representing an institution the victim trusts. Phishing is usually carried out by telephone or email, with the scam artists claiming to represent a financial institution, online auction or merchant site, or popular social network.
Victims are asked to verify information such as addresses and account numbers, or to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are remarkably similar to the real site.
The term phishing is a play on fishing and refers to the use of bait to catch unsuspecting victims.
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