Security & Fraud

Phishing emails are fraudulent attempts to obtain sensitive information from users such as usernames, passwords, credit card details, and other personal information. They are often used for malicious reason and disguised as a trustworthy entity.

These fake emails may include contest, surveys, termination of services, or other attempts to obtain personal information. 

To better protect yourself from phishing emails here are some things you should know,

• The "From" email address in an email can be spoofed to appear as any address. Always exercise caution if an email is asking for personal or account information.
• CityWest employees all use the "@cwct.ca" domain for their email, not the "@citywest.ca" domain that customers use.
• CityWest does occasionally send surveys and promotional emails to its customers. We will use the addresses marketing@cwct.ca, sales@cwct.ca, or contests@citywest.ca for these emails.
• Some "phishermen" will purchase email domains that look similar to legitimate ones. For example someone could purchase "@cvvct" which looks similar at a glance to "@cwct.ca"
• CityWest representatives will never ask for the a customer’s social insurance number when contacting them directly. In some cases a CityWest representatives may ask a customer for their date of birth, such as adding a service or contract to the account. However, our representatives will only ask for this information after the customer requests a change to their services.
• Ensure that your devices are kept up-to-date with legitimate upgrade from the software vendor.
• Ensure spam filters are enabled with your email client.

If you are unsure of the legitimacy of an email you receive from CityWest or one of its representatives please call us at 1-800-442-8664 to verify.

Below is an example of a phishing email meant to obtain the user's personal information. Please note that this is not from a CityWest employee as we use the "@cwct.ca" domain, not "@citywest.ca"

CityWest offers a variety of calling features to protect you from fraudulent calls from people and automated calls from robocalling agencies.

To learn about calling features click here. or contact us.

To learn about Canada's National Do Not Call list click here.

Similar to phishing emails, other online ads may ask a user to take a survey or click a link to win a prize. These ads may be in the form of pop-up windows or banners on a web page.

Here are some steps on how to protect yourself from online scams,

• Do not enter your personal information on websites that do not appear legitimate. If you are uncertain about an advertised contest or promotion contact the company directly to see if it is genuine.
• If you see an advertisement or pop-up you are not sure of, do not click on any of the links. You can always contact the promoting company directly to see if the promotion is genuine.
• Ensure your pop-up blocker is enabled when browsing the Internet on your computer, tablet, and mobile device.
• CityWest will only advertise online through legitimate mediums such as Google Adwords, Google Display Network, Facebook, Facebook's Display Network, Instagram, and YouTube. 

If you are ever unsure of a promotion from CityWest, please call us at 1-800-442-8664.

Below is an example of an illegitimate pop-up ad.

For an extra step of protection, CityWest offers our HomeNet Advanced features for only $7.99/month added onto your monthly CityWest bill.

Included with our HomeNet Advanced features is the ProtectIQ feature, which protects connected devices on your network from cyberattacks and malware, including viruses and ransomware. It neutralizes these threats and prevents them from ever reaching the connected devices on your network, limiting the risk of your household being lured in by a scamming attempt.

Benefits of HomeNet Advanced & ProtectIQ

1. ProtectIQ provides subscribers with timely notifications about threats in the network. Each time the classification engine detects a threat in the network, ProtectIQ neutralizes it and sends a notification to the subscriber via the HomeNet app so you are aware of each threat that was blocked.

2. ProtectIQ also prevents unknown devices from trying to access other devices in the subscriber network. Any unauthorized devices attempting to access the network will be blocked by ProtectIQ.

3. ProtectIQ monitors devices connected to the network and blocks any attempts to visit websites that are known to be malicious. When a website is blocked, users will see a message in their browsers indicating that the website is not available.

Call us today at 1-800-442-8664 to get HomeNet Advanced or to discuss HomeNet Advanced features with a representative.

HomeNet Advanced requires a CityWest Gigaspire Router. Please contact us at 1-800-442-8664 to book an appointment.