Virden RCMP say they received a complaint from a person in the local area who got a scam text message claiming to be from Manitoba Hydro.
The message says Hydro sent the person money online and provided a link to a website called 204hydrofunds.online
The text message came from the number: (902) 224-5733
The victim who reported the incident did not call the number or click the link, but called Man. Hydro instead. They told her it wasn't sent by them.
Had she clicked the link, it might have diverted her to a warning page that now pops up on browsers aware of the scam. The warning page on Google Chrome reads:
"Deceptive site ahead. Attackers may trick you into doing something dangerous like installing software or revealing your personal information (for example, passwords, phone numbers or credit cards)."
RCMP Staff Sgt. Joe Frizzley of the Virden detachment says if anyone else gets a similar message, they should call Manitoba Hydro not RCMP to report it.
The Google Chrome help pages say the purpose of fraudulent sites could be phishing or tricking visitors into installing malware or bad software.
In the case of the Man. Hydro scam, it flagged the website as being deceptive:
“Deceptive sites (also known as "phishing" or "social engineering" sites) try to trick you into doing something dangerous online, such as revealing passwords or personal information, usually through a fake website.” –Google Chrome support
