In the age of online shopping, and the proliferation of people on smartphones and other handheld devices, fraudsters and scam artists have found a new hunting ground to get rich on.
There are telephone scams, email scams and online shopping scams, not to mention scams for those who want to donate to charities online in addition to what they might give in person.
It can all get very confusing and hard to understand how a person is supposed to know what to steer clear of, or avoid altogether, and what is a geniune deal or a genuine phone call.
The first principle to observe is this: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Scams that sound great with the amazing deals they are promising you can result in the theft of your identity, fraud of your hard-earned money either from your bank account or on your credit card, or even computer viruses.
As Christmas time means shopping time, residents need to be aware when buying merchandise online, or selling goods online. Make sure the website you’re buying from is legitimate, because fraud artists can create website that look genuine with deep discounts.
What you may end up with are counterfeit products, lesser-valued products, or nothing at all. If you’re selling, be wary of offers that are more than your asking price, and if you’re donating to a charity online, be aware that fraudsters can take advantage of this time of year and use names of legitimate charities to steal your money.
If you really wish to donate to a charity online, you should confirm that the charity is registered with the Canada Revenue Agency as a legitimate non-profit organization before providing any personal or financial information.
If you use a credit card or debit card while shopping in person, be aware you can be defrauded with a SIM card swap, where fraudsters can use SIM card swapping to gain access to your phone, and your email, social media and financial accounts.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre advises consumers not to open any unsolicited emails, or emails from an unknown sender. If you are receiving spam or attempts at phishing or deceptive marketing, you can report these to the Anti-Fraud Centre as well as police, and to the Spam Reporting Centre at www.fightspam.gc.ca.
Other sources that you can use to ensure you are shopping with a legitimate online company is to check with the Better Business Bureau, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. The latter agency is also a good place to go to report a fraud if you suspect you’ve been taken in a scam of some sort. The bottom line is, take care, be alert and be smart this holiday season.
