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The holiday season is quickly approaching, bringing with it one of the biggest shopping seasons. Officials are warning consumers to beware of stealing a deal as scammers try to steal their personal information.
With Black Friday, Cyber Monday and weeks of Christmas shopping, it's a popular time for scammers to rob the most gullible.
Alberta RCMP say they are receiving more reports of unauthorized use of credit card information leading up to the holidays.
In 2023, Mounties tracked more than 8,500 fraud reports. According to the agency, they received:
- 2,399 reports of fraud (money/property/security) greater than $5,000
- 6,374 reports of fraud (money/property/security) less than or equal to $5,000
In the last two months of 2023, the service recorded:
- 432 reports of fraud (money/property/security) greater than $5,000
- 1,085 fraud reports (money/property/security) less than or equal to $5,000
Cybersecurity analyst Ritesh Kotak says scams are not only on the rise but also more sophisticated thanks to artificial intelligence (AI).
“In the past you would get an email and it was clear it was a scam. There may be spelling mistakes. There would just be content in that email that just didn't look right,” Kotak explained. “Well, guess what? Now, with a few pointers and a few mouse clicks, they can recreate something that looks legitimate.”
With the Canada Post strike in effect, consumers can purchase and deliver their orders in other ways.
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Kotak advises shoppers to be cautious as “phishing” and text-based package tracking scams are becoming popular.
“We will see a lot of phishing-related scams. That is when you receive an email stating that your package is on its way. Click here and it will then try to get you to log into your account. But in reality these are hackers and fraudsters,” he said.
RCMP offers these tips for safe online shopping:
- Only buy from reputable sources
- Avoid using public Wi-Fi, especially when conducting transactions or accessing banking details or other sensitive personal information
- Use multi-factor authentication whenever possible, which makes it harder for criminals to access your accounts
- Passwords change often; using a combination of letters, numbers and special characters helps make them stronger.
- Clarify the legitimacy of verification emails by calling the company directly to avoid phishing scams
- Check your accounts regularly and review transactions regularly to ensure your data has not been compromised.
Kotah also advises online shoppers to look for a padlock in their website browser. That symbol indicates that the site is secure: transactions on the website are encrypted.
He recommends using a separate email address for online shopping to separate transactions from your personal life if there is a breach.
He also recommends making purchases via credit card instead of sending money via e-transfer.
“There are processes where your purchase is actually insured,” Kotak said of using a credit card.
RCMP are urging Albertans who believe they may have been victims of a scam to report it to police and contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
“If you don't report it, we really don't get a sense of how big the problem is,” Kotak said.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Kabi Moulitharan
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