Since bus service between the Maritimes and Quebec was eliminated, more and more people have turned to carpooling on Facebook to get around cheaply. However, the scammers understood this.
Herzo Ba has lived in Moncton since 2019. This fall, the international student is moving to Quebec to begin his studies at another university.
To stay within his budget, he turned to carpooling companies on Facebook, whose members offer regular connections between the two provinces. He says he received many questionable messages asking him, among other things, to send an Interac transfer before the day of departure.
If you don’t send it to them, they won’t respond to you anymore, he said. That’s when I realized there were scams on ridesharing sites. Every second ad is fraud. It’s enormous.
For several weeks, Herzo Ba has been sharing screenshots of scams on various Facebook pages that offer ride-sharing services to make other users aware of this reality.
For us international students, we are not that familiar with such avenues on the Internet. Sometimes people don’t understand [qu’il peut y avoir] dishonest people on these sites.
Minani Bonheur, originally from Congo, also fell victim to an attempted online scam this summer. A scammer asked her to buy a prepaid Mastercard and send him the photo to book her ride.
“He gave me reasons like he couldn’t accept cash because people book and cancel at the last minute,” says Minani Bonheur.
When I clicked on his profile I saw that he had sent 10 messages, but when I look at the carpools I see that he can carpool two times in different locations on the same day. […] There is actually no consistency. […] A person who does it [réellement] Carpools already know when they have to leave, how many people they can take with them and the maximum number of suitcases, he continues.
Minani Bonheur informed the site’s administrators and asked them to ban the perpetrator.
Private carpooling platform
Denise Langlais lives in Quebec, but her family lives in Grand Falls, New Brunswick. In August she tried to find a way to visit him.
Denise Langlais originally wanted to take the bus, but the route between the Maritimes and Quebec has been canceled since the pandemic. The sixty-year-old therefore turned to social networks.
She shared classified ads on a Facebook ride-sharing site for seven days.
For a 69-year-old woman it was hell, she says. It was just scams that I received.
Open in full screen mode
Amigo Express is the most used private ridesharing platform in Canada. In 2020 it had 650,000 members.
Photo: Getty Images / miodrag ignjatovic
However, there are alternatives, notably Amigo Express. This private ridesharing service, the most used in Canada, allows its members to travel without breaking the bank.
The service is popular in large urban centers in Canada, but is slightly less popular for long journeys between Quebec and New Brunswick.
People are using Facebook more and it’s a little quicker and easier.
However, using Facebook Pages poses greater risks as no user verification is required.
For a small service fee, the Amigo Express website ensures user identity control, particularly to combat fraud. In addition, there is a member rating system to ensure maintaining a safe service.
Focus on vigilance
According to the Competition Bureau Canada, the best way to avoid falling victim to a scam is to be vigilant and informed.
Psychological manipulation is a technique commonly used by scammers to extort money online.
Open in full screen mode
The Competition Bureau Canada points out that scammers target anyone, regardless of your age, education level, income or other aspects of your personal history.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Chantal Rivest
The golden rule to protect yourself: Never send money to someone you don’t know or trust.
Some strategies used by scammers:
- Apply pressure to make a quick decision
- Ask to keep everything confidential
- Send urgent messages
- Ask to provide the money before departure
- Request financial or personal information
If you have any doubts about an online rideshare offer, contact someone you trust or wait until the next day to make a decision.
If you have been the victim of a phishing attack, report it to local law enforcement as soon as possible. Also, notify the moderator of the Facebook page where the incident occurred and other users.