226-484-1069 is used by scammers

If you receive a recorded phone call or message from 226-484-1069 claiming to be the “Canada Revenue Agency”, it is a scam. Ignoring it is the best response, as returning the call may provide the scammers with your Caller ID information which would allow them to personalize their scam pitch to you.

About “Happy Step Father’s Day…” texts from 905-351-3759

There are recent reports of text messages saying “Happy Step Father’s Day (date) First Year. I am a comedian” (or similar) being sent to numerous random phone numbers with an originating ID of (905) 351-3759. If you receive such a message, the best course of action is to ignore and delete it. Calling or texting back will provide the scammers with your Caller ID information which allows them to commence a social engineering scam. The scammers are hoping you will be curious and contact them, thereby starting a conversation.

888-634-9403 is a scam phone number

If you get an email or phone message telling you to call 1-888-634-9403 about your student loan (or any other loan/financial issue), do not call. These scammers will claim to help you with your loan but will require you to pay them upfront as a “service charge” (or similar). However, once they have received your money, they will do nothing. Even worse, any personal information you share with the scammers may in fact be sold to other scammers.

Note that if you call the number, the scammers will use the information on your caller ID for their scam. Therefore, do not call.

About 613-366-6717 (extortion scam phone number)

If you receive a phone message demanding that you call (613) 366-6717 otherwise there will be some sort of legal trouble, ignore it. This number leads to an extortion scammer who will demand that you pay them money through cash, wire transfers and/or gift cards. They do not represent any government or law enforcement agency. If they persist in calling you, report the matter to your local police.

419 frauds, one Christian version

I received this advance-fee fraud email recently:

[Begin scam email]

ATTN: Greetings,
Dearest in Christ,

PLEASE ENDEAVOUR TO USE IT FOR THE CHILDREN OF GOD.
I am Mrs. [deleted] from Kuwait. I am married to Dr. [deleted] who worked with Kuwait embassy in Cote d’Ivoire for nine years before he died in the year 2006. We were married for eleven years without a child.

He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we were both born again Christians. Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of 15.2Million U.S.Dollars).with one BANK in cote d’ivoire.

Presently, this money is still with the Bank. Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next three months due to cancer problem. Though what disturbs me most is my stroke having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to Organisations, church or better still a Christian individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct here in.

I want a church that will use this fund for churches, orphanages, widows, less privileged for propagating the word of God and to ensure that the house of God is maintained. The Bible made us to understand that blessed is the hand that giveth. I took this decision because I don’t have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and I don’t want my husband’s hard earned money to be misused by unbelievers.

I don’t want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly manner, which is the reason for taking this bold decision. I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that the lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace. I don’t need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health, because of the presence of my husband’s relatives around me always. I don’t want them to know about this development.

With God all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the BANK in Ivory Coast. I will also issue you a letter of authority that will empower you as the beneficiary of this fund. I want you and the church to always pray for me because the lord is my shepherd. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian.

Whoever that wants to serve the Lord must serve him in spirit and truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life, and any delay in your reply will give me room in searching for a church or Christian individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein.

Hoping to hearing from you. Remain blessed in the name of the Lord.
Yours in Christ,
Mrs [deleted]

[End scam email]

Let one thing be crystal clear: there is no money in an Ivory Coast bank that is waiting to do Christian work. If the sender is contacted, there will be endless demands for advance payments, while no money will ever be received by the victim.

Of note, the Bible does not prohibit widows from re-marrying. Consider the following passages:

For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.
(Romans 7:2-3)

But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them if they remain even as I am; but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
(1 Corinthians 7:8-9)

Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
(1 Timothy 5:14)

The bottom line is to remember Jesus’ teaching. God gave you a brain for a reason, use it:

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
(Matthew 10:16)