Safe holiday shopping: Tips and tricks to avoid falling victim to a scam

The holiday season is fast approaching, bringing about one of the biggest shopping seasons. Officials warn consumers to beware of a steal of 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 prey on the most gullible.

Alberta RCMP say they experience higher reports of unauthorized use of credit card information in the run-up to the holidays.

In 2023, Mounties tracked more than 8,500 reports of fraud. According to the service, 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 reports of fraud (money/property/security) less than or equal to $5,000

Cybersecurity analyst Ritesh Kotak says not only are scams on the rise, but they’re more sophisticated too thanks to artificial intelligence (AI).

“Before, you used to get an email and it was obvious that it was a scam. There would be spelling errors. There would be just content in that email that just didn’t look right,” Kotak explained. “Well, guess what? Now with a few prompts and a couple of clicks of the mouse, they’re able to recreate something that looks legitimate.”

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With the Canada Post strike in effect, consumers may pivot to purchasing and delivering orders through other means.

Kotak advises shoppers to be careful, as ‘phishing’ and text-related scams related to tracking packages are becoming popular.

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“We’re going to be seeing a lot of phishing-related scams. That is when you receive an email saying your package is on the way, click here, and then it tries to get you to log into your account. But in actuality, these are hackers and fraudsters,” he said.

RCMP offer these tips for safe online shopping:

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• Only buy from reputable sources
• Avoid using public Wi-Fi, especially when making transactions or accessing banking or other sensitive personal information
• Use multi-factor authentication whenever possible, making it more difficult for criminals to access your accounts
• Changing passwords 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 frequently and review transactions often to ensure your information hasn’t been compromised.

Kotah also advises online shoppers to look for a padlock on their website browser. That symbol indicates the site is secured – transactions on the website will be encrypted.

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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 funds through e-transfer.

“There are processes in place when your purchase is actually insured as well,” Kotak said of using a credit card.

RCMP urge Albertans who believe they may have fallen victim to a scam to report it to police and to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

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“If you don’t report it, we really don’t get a true essence of just how big the problem is,” Kotak said.

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