Phishing

Phishing is a type of email or text messaging fraud that involves sending a mass mailing by email or text messaging while pretending to a be legitimate company (e.g., the Fonds de solidarité FTQ). These emails and text messages are used by malicious people to steal your personal information or install malware on your computer by prompting you to click on links or open attachments.

For the victims of this type of attack, the consequences may be significant: theft of confidential information to commit fraud, unauthorized access or loss of data.

How to recognize a fraudulent email or text message

It can sometimes be difficult to recognize a fraudulent email or text message because their senders are constantly perfecting their methods. However, phishing emails and text messages usually share similar characteristics, such as the following:

• The text insists on the urgent nature of the situation to make you take action quickly, without thinking too much.
• The text contains spelling mistakes.
• The text refers to a fictitious problem or a situation triggering an impulsive reaction, such as a late payment, a request to update your information, the reception of a package or an unwanted purchase.
• The links in the email or text message take you to a web page where you are asked to enter personal information (password, date of birth or social insurance number).

Stay alert! If you have the slightest doubt about the validity of an email with the Fonds de solidarité FTQ’s logo and colours or a text message purporting to be from the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, do not click on any links or open any attachments.

Go instead to the Fonds’ official website at https://www.fondsftq.com. From there, you can safely access your online account.

How to protect yourself

• NEVER provide identifiable confidential information (e.g. social insurance number, date of birth, password, etc.) by email or text message.
• Move your cursor over the hyperlink (but don’t click on it) to check that the address is legitimate and belongs to the sender’s company (beware of similar addresses).
• Check that the sender’s email address is familiar and legitimate, especially the part after the “@”. Is it a personal or company address?
• Do not respond to emails or text messages requesting urgent or immediate actions and warning of serious consequences if you don’t respond.
• For emails, protect your computer with an antivirus software, a spyware filter and a spam filter.
• Do not click on any links in a suspicious email or text message. Enter instead the Fonds’ official website address in your Internet browser (https://www.fondsftq.com).

What to do if you are a victim of phishing in regards to the Fonds de Solidarité FTQ's services?

If you receive a fraudulent email or text message:

• Contact the Saving Services who can confirm if this is an official communication from the Fonds de Solidarité FTQ.
• Then delete the email or text message.

If you have provided confidential information, we recommend that you call credit agencies such as Equifax (1-800-465-7166 ou 514-493-2314) and TransUnion (1-877-713-3393 ou 514-335-0374), so that they can add a note to your file alerting credit providers that you may have been a victim of fraudulent activity.