What is phishing?
Phishing is an email or text message fraud technique aiming to extract personal information or money from an individual. These unpleasant communications are harmless, as long as you do not interact with them.
Phishing also happens over the phone. Learn more about these unwanted calls.
Beware of spoofing!
Spoofing is a technique that alters the ID information about the author of a message to hide his or her identity. This technique is based on the principle that we are more likely to respond when we receive a communication that appears legitimate (such as a local email address or phone number). Spoofing can be used for unethical reasons such as deceptive telemarketing or fraud. Learn more about spoofing.
Never share your personal information or take any action unless you are sure that the source of the text message or email is trustworthy.
How to recognize fraudulent communications
Here are some clues pointing to attempted fraud:
- The situation addressed in the communication seems strange or silly
- The terms used are alarmist and urge you to act quickly, such as “Important message,” “Urgent,” “Alert,” etc.
- The message contains spelling errors
Discover common examples of phone or SMS frauds.
Warning: Banks, police, government agencies, and most businesses do not contact their clients by email or text message to obtain personal information.
How to recognize authentic communications from Videotron
Fraudsters may attempt to send false communications on behalf of Videotron. Here’s how to recognize authentic communications from us:
- Text messages from Videotron are identified with the number 445120, and not with a phone number
- Our email addresses always contain @videotron.com or @communications-videotron.com
- If our communications include links, they begin with https://videotron.com/, liens.communications-videotron.com or https://go.videotron.com/
- When you receive a text message from Videotron, the requested action can be completed without having to click on a link, simply by navigating the Videotron site
Videotron’s communications allow you to make the most of your services and our offers. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a call, you can Google the number, try to call back yourself, or go to the store to find out.
At any time, you can change your communication preferences in My Account or the Customer Centre.
What to do if you notice a fraud attempt
- Do not respond
- Avoid opening attachments or clicking on links
- Mark the message as spam
- Delete the message
How to protect yourself from unwanted or fraudulent communications
- Avoid entering your email address or cellphone number on a promotional website or contest
- Do not share personal information without verifying the source of the communication
- Always check the reliability of the company’s site before completing online transactions
- Report and delete communications that appear fraudulent
- Update your software, including Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Reader, your antivirus, and your operating system
- Block numbers sending unwanted text messages, if necessary
Good to know
Emails sent to your Videotron address (yourname@videotron.ca) go through our spam filter. As a result, most phishing emails are intercepted before they even end up in your inbox.
In addition, our software for detecting unwanted text messages works continuously to search, locate and block suspicious SMS messages before you even receive them on your mobile device.
As new types of SMS scams continually emerge, we regularly optimize our filters according to the latest reports.
Reporting suspicious or fraudulent SMS
If you think you’ve received an SMS scam, transfer the suspicious message to 7726 (SPAM) so we can start an investigation. This service is free and does not affect your mobile plan.
Important : We will process the collected data confidentially so that we may adjust our filters for the benefit of the entire community. You will thereby be contributing to the collective effort to combat SMS scamming.
To report a suspicious SMS, follow the steps according to your device model.
- Tap the message to open the conversation.
- Touch and hold the suspicious message to be transferred and then tap the menu
that appears in the top right corner. - Select Forward and then New message on the screen that appears.
- Enter 7726 in the destination field and tap the check mark to accept, then send the message.
- Tap the message to open the conversation.
- Touch and hold the suspicious message to be transferred and then tap Forward.
- Enter 7726 in the destination field and tap +.
- Tap Done and send the message.
- Tap the message to open the conversation.
- Touch and hold the suspicious message until either Options or More appears, depending on the device, and select it.
- You will see a check mark next to the selected message. If necessary, add a check mark next to the other message bubbles you wish to transfer. Tap the Forward arrow in the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Enter 7726 in the destination field and tap Send.
Reporting spam
If you receive spam, notify us by sending it, as an attachment, to rapport-polluriel@videotron.ca.
If you use Videotron’s email and messaging service, a “Spam” button in the inbox allows you to report spam.
Responded to a fraudulent communication?
If you have clicked on a link, downloaded an attachment, responded to a fraudulent email or text message, or disclosed your personal information, report the situation to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
