How Cyber Threats Effect Your Vulnerable Workforce

Twenty-six years ago, my family and I were new immigrants to the great nation of Canada. We had left the country of my birth, where lack of trust in people, processes, government, and specially the legal system was omnipresent. The weak legal system along with an even weaker enforcement of the law, gave the people of my birth country reasons to be wary.

Canada, on the other hand, was sold to us as a place where the legal system is strong, the law enforced equally on all, and the government is there to protect its citizens from those wishing us harm, physical, financial, or otherwise. And while this is true for the most part, there are of course certain nuances to what is considered legal. Perhaps it was this sense of false security that led my mother and grandmother to fall for one of the oldest tricks in the books – and no one else in the family even suspected a thing, not even me!

“The large print giveth and the small print taketh away.” – Unknown

This is a story that pre-dates the ubiquity of the Internet, but it is no less relevant today than it was back then. When we migrated to Canada, one thing became very clear. The money we brought with us wasn’t sufficient. My father would send us money from overseas every month but that too was vanishing faster than holding fine sand in a tight grip. My mother and grandmother were housewives and neither had any work experience. However, both of them were determined to help my father out. Every day, they would pour over the classifieds to see if they could pick up a part-time gig (after all, they still felt that they had to fulfill their housewife duties too). I’m certain that they both felt helpless as they had none of the requirements that employers sought. Both had fallen into an uncomfortable cycle of applying and getting rejected. But then they saw an advertisement that asked for very basic requirements.

The Large Print:

Ad :  New to Canada and need Canadian experience?

Mom’s response : Yes!

Ad :  Can you operate a phone?

Mom’s response : Strange question. Who doesn’t know how to operate a phone. Check.

Ad : Do you speak English?

Mom’s response : I taught at an English school. Check.

Ad : Can you carve out two hours a day?

Mom’s response : I can manage that much. This would give me time to do all the house chores. Check.

No driving necessary!

No Canadian experience necessary!

$6.85/hour paid weekly

Call 1-900-416-4161 for more details. Not the actual number

If you were an immigrant desperate to make ends meet, what would you do?

If you were told repeatedly that you lacked Canadian experience and thus your application was rejected (Oh how every immigrant loathes hearing those words!), what would you do?

If you felt that this was the only job you could get, what would you do?

If you said you’d call, you’re not in the minority if you happen to be in what’s considered to be the vulnerable workforce of Canada. New immigrants, the elderly, unskilled workers (another term I don’t condone!)

Canada, being as safe a country as they come, is not immune to cyber fraud or crime.

The list of scams and frauds uncovered on a daily basis is quite long!

The number of frauds and scams are on the rise and so is the amount of total loss. One constant remains, however, and that is how little money can be recovered once lost. In 2021, a mere 1.6% of money was recovered!

Canadian Fraud Statistics

My mother and grandmother decided to call right away. On the other end of the line was a respectful lady that explained the job in detail making sure that my mother felt comfortable with what’s being asked of her. She also conducted an over the phone comprehension test. The call lasted for roughly 30 minutes and my mother was told that she should be hopeful and expect a call in the next five business days with an offer.

My mother and grandmother decided to call right away. On the other end of the line was a respectful lady that explained the job in detail making sure that my mother felt comfortable with what’s being asked of her. She also conducted an over the phone comprehension test. The call lasted for roughly 30 minutes and my mother was told that she should be hopeful and expect a call in the next five business days with an offer.

So, what happened? Why did our phone bill jump more than 40 times?

That’s the sorcery of the small print!

What my mother and grandmother (and the rest of us) had failed to notice was the (very, very) small print that said, “A charge of $50/minute applies.”

Quite simply, the scam was to get people to call a 1-900 number which premium charge numbers – meaning when you called a 1-900 number, you’re essentially being charged by the owner of the number, and you will be billed directly via your phone provider?

Our shock turned to dismay when we learned that this practice was entirely legal and that there was no recourse, legal or otherwise. We had to pay the bill or incur interest on the charges.

That day we learned our first lesson of living in a Western country. Read the bleeping fine print!

Let’s take a moment to deconstruct the scam.

Ad: New to Canada and need Canadian experience?

This is the emotional hook. The scammers understand that there is a large population of the immigrant population struggling to get jobs because employers want Canadian experience.

Every scam phone call, every phishing email uses emotions to hook their victims. That’s why headlines such as “We’ve noticed unusual activity on your bank account/Website/Email. Please call us immediately!” and “Your recent credit card payment was blocked”. You may be charged interest on your payments. To rectify, connect with our customer service team by clicking here.”, work so well.

Once the victim has brought into the premise of the headline, the rest almost doesn’t matter.

Ad: No driving necessary!

Again, the scammers have done their research. Most new immigrants do not have access to a vehicle and use public transit.

Ad: $6.85/hour paid weekly!

The pay rate offered is the scammers way to appear legitimate. As it happens, $6.85 was the minimum wage in Ontario at the time. By stating the correct rate, the scammers ensured that their advertisement appeared as legitimate.

How does stories of fraud fit in with cyber security?

Today, these types of scams have become even easier. With a single click of a button, millions upon millions of phishing emails can be delivered. Phishing emails have the same anatomy as fraudulent advertisements; however, they use a different medium, and their impact is often greater.

Phishing accounts for 90% of data breaches and 96% of phishing arrives by emails (3% by malicious websites, and 1% via phone).

There are a staggering 250 million phishing websites where credential thefts occur by the hundreds and thousands. But it has gotten worse. Instead of stealing your credentials or trying to hack your bank accounts, hackers simply encrypt your company’s data, halting your business completely.

If you’re a small to medium sized business that is not IT focused, your employee base is likely not tech savvy. This means your employees are the vulnerable workforce that needs to be protected from cyber threats and online frauds.

Do you know how cyber threats effect your vulnerable workforce?

How long can you have your IT systems down before you capitulate to a ransomware demand? A week? A month? Three months?

Have you educated your employees to be aware of the dangers on the internet?

Have you invested in systems can help protect you?

Every business has its crown jewels that it must protect. How confident are you in the systems, processes, and awareness programs of your organization?  

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