WESTLOCK - With many turning to online shopping this winter due to the COVID-19 pandemic, RCMP are reminding people to protect their personal and financial information from digital scammers.
Westlock RCMP Staff Sgt. Al Baird said that since the start of the year they’ve dealt with 59 fraud complaints, while across Alberta there were over 1,200 reports of fraud greater than $5,000, almost 6,000 reports of fraud less than or equal to $5,000 and over 70 reports of unauthorized use of credit card data.
“This past year hasn’t been much as we’ve seen in the past, but it is quite a lot. There are still a few open investigations, but thankfully for the vast majority no one has lost anything,” said Baird.
“But the biggest thing is prevention. If we can get the word out, and people take precautions, then that’s a lot easier than trying to get money back.”
In addition to online scams, Baird said fraudsters are still on prowl via the phone — most people have received the phony call from the Canadian Revenue Agency stating they owe back taxes.
“I’ve even gotten that call,” said Baird. “It’s just one of those things when they do the mass dial outs. Fortunately we haven’t received anything on the CERB payments, yet.”
Baird said for the higher level crimes that originate overseas, they gather the information and then pass it on to the higher ups.
“Last year there was a call centre busted in Quebec. All those tips that come in from law enforcement officials across the world,” said Baird.
“But it depends on what it is. If people are actually getting hit hard, we try to do what we can locally.”
For the month of November, the Alberta RCMP social media accounts will be using #CyberSecurity. For more crime prevention and safety tips, follow @RCMPAlberta (Twitter) and @RCMPinAlberta (Facebook). If you see something suspicious, report it to your local police service. If you see a crime in progress, call 911. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.
Online tips
· Don’t purchase anything while using public Wi-Fi; shop using your own data connection or a trusted network.
· Research retailers before purchasing from them. Check for reviews and their return policy.
· Only purchase from sites using HTTPS rather than HTTP.
· If you’ve done some shopping already, watch your financial statements for any unauthorized purchases.
· If a deal is too good to be true, it probably is.
· Use a unique, strong password for each of your accounts. Do not use the same password on different sites or accounts.
· Setup multi-factor authentication to make it more difficult for someone else to access your accounts
· Be careful what you reveal about yourself online. Many social media quizzes are designed to get answers to the most common security questions.
· When sending e-transfers or signing up for auto-deposit, use hard-to-guess passwords.
· Avoid reacting automatically. Take five minutes to question the information and listen to your instincts. If something doesn’t seem right, talk to someone else about it.
· Verify unusual email requests to change payment information with a phone call.
· Be wary of unsolicited emails offering job or investment opportunities; elaborate spear phishing email fraudsters are highly skilled at extracting personal information.
· If the person requests payment in Bitcoin, be cautious. CRA and other government agencies will not request payment in Bitcoin or gift cards.