As Black Friday and Cyber Monday fast approaches, the RCMP have some crucial advice for those looking to grab a genuine bargain.
Trail RCMP Sergeant Mike Wicentowich says now is the perfect time for scammers to sneak into your inbox or send a text to your cell and see who will take the bait.
“If the deal is so unbelievable, maybe it is and obviously don’t hand out any of your personal information for your credit card or banking information unless you’re absolutely sure you’re dealing with somebody legitimate.” said Sgt Wicentowich.
“We’re just telling people to be very careful.”
And this case, protection is key.
“Many of the major sites provide protection. If you use PayPal it provides protection, but these can be very sophisticated so be very careful about incoming text messages, offering deals, emails, those could be scams.” said Sgt Wicentowich.
“We always recommend using some computer software like an antivirus or a fraud detecting software to help you determine whether or not something’s legitimate.”
Online fraud is a growing worldwide issue, and scammers are only smarter, so as consumers, we need to as well.
“Do your homework, make sure you go to the actual sites and determine whether or not these things are legitimate. I wouldn’t trust a text or an email unless I did some investigation to make sure it wasn’t a scam.”
And if in doubt, go local.
“There’s no safer way to go and buy something than from your local store. You’re dealing with the people you know and well-established businesses.”
What to do if you think you have been scammed
If you think you have given out your information or purchased something through a scam, call the RCMP and report the fraud, then contact your bank.
“If you can do that very quickly you can protect yourself against further victimization.” said Sgt Wicentowich.
“There are ways to recover funds. A lot of the times you’re covered if you follow all the right procedures but if you give away your banking information or send money electronically or give away your PIN codes you’re not covered, so just be wary.”
For more information visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud website to catch up on the latest scams.
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