To recognize a fake message from a clinic or a public body, look at whether it rushes you or asks you to pay or to give a code. A real organization never asks for a password or a code by message.
The signs:
A threat or an urgency: « Final notice », « Your card will be suspended ».
A request for money, a code, a password or a health insurance number.
A link to a strange address, not the organization’s own.
A promise that is too good: « You are entitled to a refund ».
What to do:
Do not click and do not reply.
Call the organization at the number you already know (on your card, on a letter you received), not the one in the message.
Forward the text to 7726 to report it to your phone provider. You should receive a confirmation message.
Delete the message.
If you have already clicked or replied: change the password of the account concerned right away, then call your bank if you gave payment information. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre takes reports at 1 888 495-8501.
To picture it: it is like a call from someone who says they work at your bank: the name on the display can be false. Only the number you already know is safe.