Beneficiaries of the Robinson Huron Treaty are being alerted to fraudulent letters and emails requesting personal and financial information for the purpose of distributing settlement payouts.
On Tuesday, the Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund (RHTLF) issued a notice warning the public about the widespread circulation of the scam, which asks individuals to provide personal and banking information to confirm their eligibility for the distribution of settlement payouts.
Recipients of the faked correspondence letters are told they will receive their payment by direct deposit, e-transfer or cheque upon receiving the personal information.
The legal team responsible for negotiating the $10 billion Robinson Huron Treaty settlement agreement with both federal and provincial levels of government said the falsified documents are even branded with government and RHTLF logos.
“Please note that the RHTLF and the governments of Ontario and Canada have not started to make settlement payments,” RHTLF officials said in the notice.
“(We) will not ask for your financial information via mail, email or text.”
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The litigation fund is advising recipients of the letters to contact RHTLF via its official social media accounts or email at info@robinsonhurontreaty1850.com or their local First Nation officials in order to verify the credibility of any documents received.
“We just want to remind everyone that any of the information that should be relied upon should be coming directly from the Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund or directly from the communities themselves,” said Robinson Huron Treaty Litigation Fund trustee Duke Peltier.
“These types of notices would never be our approach.”
The RHTLF notice provides several tips regarding protection against scams, including:
- Do not open emails from people you don't know.
- Try reaching out to the sender directly via their official emails or phone numbers to make sure that it is legitimate.
- Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
- Look at the branding carefully. Scammers tend to use logos, email or postal addresses that are very similar to the legitimate senders. Check the communication you received carefully to see if there is a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you.
- Be careful of clicking on suspicious links. Malicious links can also come from friends who have been compromised.
- Secure your personal information. Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
- Resist the pressure to act immediately. Scammers often use urgency as a tactic to get your information quickly. Verify the credibility of an organization before sharing your personal information.
– With files from CTV News Northern Ontario videojournalist Eric Taschner
