Telus is warning its customers about a sudden and significant increase in the volume of vacation scam calls to B.C. and Alberta residents.
"When someone picks up the scam call, a recorded voice thanks them for choosing Telus and that the company is giving you a free vacation for being a good customer," Telus said in a press release.
"If you stay on the line it connects you to a person who will try to convince you to give them personal information or send money as a down-payment on fees for the vacation.
"The calls are fraudulent and in no way related to Telus. Telus recommends you simply hang up if you receive a call."
It's a new take on a common scam in which a fraudster uses the name of a well-known corporation to gain the target's confidence. In this instance, it appears the scammers are using auto-dialers to randomly call thousands of phone numbers and the calls are originating from outside Canada, although the caller ID appears to be North American.
"Legitimate telemarketers will always know your name and will always provide you with a number for you to call them back at your convenience," Telus said.
Those who believe they may have given personal information to a scam artist and need assistance securing their Telus accounts, can call the company's fraud management department at 1-877-567-2062.
More information can be found at www.telus.com/scams and www.phonebusters.com.
