BC Ferries issues warning about several different scams making the rounds

BC Ferries is out with a warning, saying scammers are actively trying to trick people using a number of different methods.

First and foremost, the company says, you should be on the lookout for anyone posing as one of its representatives, whether it be by email, phone, social media, online surveys, or fake websites.

“We’ll never call, email, ask you for payment for a winning prize, or conduct online surveys to request your personal information—including your Social Insurance Number or credit card details,” BC Ferries said.

“Our staff will never ask you to provide a credit card verbally over the phone. We use a secure system that requests you to enter your payment details via your phone’s dial pad.”

Website spoofing scams:

The ferry service’s website is bcferries.com, and any official emails will come from an address ending in @bcferries.com. Any websites or emails from anything else claiming to be from the company are fake.

Some of the phony sites scammers have used include ferryservices.website bcferryreservation.online.

As well, people should avoid clicking on anything on Google that identifies as an ad.

“Fraudsters will purchase ad space on search engines with incorrect contact info so that BC Ferries customers will contact them instead,” it said.

“We recommend visiting our contact us page when looking for BC Ferries contact information.”

Phishing email scams:

An unsolicited email will appear appearing to be from BC Ferries.

“A typical phishing email will give you a fake reason, such as a security breach or contest, to trick you into providing your personal information,” the warning says.

The links, logos, and attachments may initially appear to be authentic, but there are some key differences to look out for.

“Some may use BC Ferry Corporation instead of our real name, British Columbia Ferry Services Inc.,” BC Ferries said.

“Some may use website addresses very similar to ours, like www.bc-ferries.com.”

Other scams:

The company says scammers might use surveys as an information collection tool, usually offering discounts or products in exchange for answering a questionnaire. They may also ask for credit card or bank account information, social insurance numbers, or driver’s licence numbers.

There are a few clues that the site may be fake.

“They often have poor grammar and misspelled words, and may be lacking any contact information about the company they claim to represent.”

BC Ferries says it will never take part in any type of phone promotion or solicitation.

Lastly, there are a number of social media accounts that may resemble its official accounts. The company says it’s important to make sure the accounts are official.