Identifying fraud and phishing scams

Learn to identify fraudulent emails

Scam artists send phishing emails in an attempt to fraudulently acquire personal information from you, such as your credit card information, on-line banking password, and other important personal information. The email may appear to be from a legitimate company or individual, but don't be fooled.

Like Intuit, most companies have policies that state they do not request such information from customers by email.

Never send credit card information, account passwords, or other confidential personal information in any email if possible. If you cannot verify that the recipient is who they claim to be, do not respond.

Never provide personal account information through email

If you ever receive an unsolicited email requesting personal information, do not provide any information without checking with the company that is showing to be the one requesting your information.

• Do not reply to the message
• Do not click any of the links in the message.

Instead, visit the requesting company website and find an email address or phone number to contact regarding this issue. Intuit especially appreciates being notified about fraudulent attempts to gain information about their customers.

Contact Us page

Be cautious of attachments

If you receive an unsolicited email message containing an attachment, do not open it. Contact Intuit directly to verify the contents of the email and the attachment before opening it.

Beware of fraudulent websites or technical services

Over the past few years, there has been an increase in fraudulent websites spoofing Intuit sites and offering Intuit products & services for discount prices. Please do not be fooled by these criminals. They are in no way affiliated with Intuit, and their programs and services are not endorsed or approved by Intuit in any manner.

From the reports we have, the sites offer Intuit products as well as Intuit technical support via remote access. Some customers have been asked to pay hundreds of dollars for tech support to a company with no intention or ability to fix your issue. What they want to do is gain access to your computer and personal information. Do not be fooled!

All Intuit products offer some form of technical support. Our support sites have the numbers you need to contact us. If you find a third party company offering paid product support for Intuit products, it is most likely a scam. The actual contact information for all Intuit products can be found at our Contact Us page.

If you are being asked to pay for technical support for Intuit products offered by a third party, please contact any of the Intuit businesses listed on our Contact Us page. We'll make sure you get to speak to the right people.

Some of these websites have attempted the following activities:

• Charged hundreds of dollars in support fees to help complete simple tasks
• Solicited high fees for support and used aggressive tactics when speaking with customers
• Selling programs that are not valid, do not work, and the payment processor is a known malware threat

Trusted online security resources

To learn more about preventing email fraud, and the steps you can take to better protect your personal information, visit any of the following sites:

• Intuit Online Security Centre

• Microsoft Safety & Security Centre
• Apple - Help topic: Phishing & Other Suspicious Emails
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

Banking and credit card security resources

• RBC Royal Bank - How Cyber Criminals Make Contact
• TD Canada Trust - Privacy and Security
• Scotiabank - Online Fraud
• CIBC - Online, text and email fraud
• BMO Bank Of Montreal
• Visa Merchant Services - Visa Fraud Prevention & Security
• MasterCard - Prevent Identity Theft