The 12 frauds of Christmas

The holiday season is a joyous one — for criminals! ??This is the time of year when fraudsters do their best to pull our toques over our eyes.? They know many people are distracted by holiday parties and preparation ~ Don’t let your guard down! ??? ?

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We will see AI making familiar holiday scams more effective and difficult to detect.? An informed community is a smart community, talking about these can prevent people falling into these traps.? ?

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1. Purchase scams, spoofed websites

Scrolling through social media, you see products advertised at a bargain, you click through to a website to shop and pay.? You then pay for items and never receive them, begin getting charged a monthly fee for something you’ve never signed up for, receive a counterfeit item, or something much different than advertised.? If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is!

- Avoid clicking on links in emails, mobile messages, and social media. If you navigate a website from a link, be cautious.? Check out the URL of the website. Does it fit the domain of the brand? Does the URL have unusual characters in the address?

- Instagram maintains a list of scams? happen on the platform.

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2. Fake Delivery / Shipping Messages

Criminals send fake messages to victims claiming to be a delivery company, saying they tried to deliver a parcel.? They ask the recipient to click on a link to find out more or rearrange delivery by sharing personal credentials.

- Check the source and if you don’t know it, or are not expecting a delivery, do not click on the link or input any personal details.

- Beware of entering personal data or financial details into a site you navigated from a link in a message or email.

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3. Scamming Grandparent, Parent, other relation

Grandparents are targets for scammers hoping to cash in on their love for family. ?One recent example, a grandfather lost over $2,500 when his sick granddaughter was impersonated and needed ‘help’.? Similar scams use phone calls or social media DM’s to perpetrate the same type of theft; they pose as family or friends, send messages out of the blue, build on that initial ‘hello’, then begin asking for money urgently.

- Pause and verify who you are actually speaking to

- If the request originates in a phone call, tell them you will call them back

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4. Phoney prize notifications

Beware of prize notifications!? These scams ask for victims personal information, may request “fees” to claim cash or a car asking for gift cards to pay the fee, which no legitimate business or organization will request.

- Resist the urge to act immediately and verify the businesses identity

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5. “Safe account” and “You’ve Been Hacked!” scams

Criminals text or email victims claiming your Amazon, Paypal, Netflix, Apple TV, bank account, etc. has been compromised.? The messages urge immediate action to prevent the account from being blocked by clicking a link, where you’ll be asked for personal information, or send money to a “safe account” that has been opened for the purpose of unblocking the account. ?

- Contact the business directly and verify, do not click on links.

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6. Cryptocurrency scams

Fraudsters will offer fake cryptocurrency investments. Make sure you understand what you are investing in, always research the company and check it is regulated.

- Investors should always do some research, and verify using the CSA?National Registration Tool

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7. Fake Job Postings

Fake job listings increase at this time of year. Job sites have measures in place to verify legitimate employers, but scammers sometimes manage to get their listings posted. Other fake listings appear on social media created expressly to deceive job seekers. Sometimes, listings ask candidates to pay a fee to complete their application or to get started in the role.? The information provided during the ‘hiring’ process is what’s needed for identity theft.

- Research all potential employers, is the job offer too good to be true??

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8. Holiday Booking scams

Many of us travel to see loved ones or escape at Christmas time.? This draws in crooks who concoct elaborate scams to trick travellers. Holiday booking fraud can take many forms: travel scams often use phishing emails, including links to fake travel websites. Alternatively, legitimate booking sites can be used to commit fraud by scammers who work out sneaky ways to circumvent the site’s security rules.

- Do not click links or download attachments in emails that seem suspicious and be suspicious of too-good-to-be-true accommodation offers

- Check the URL and ensure the address is legitimate; fraudsters may use cleverly composed URLs, for example,?AirBmB.com or?4irBNB.com, to catch unwary visitors.

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9. Malicious Holiday apps

Use caution around holiday-themed apps, such as video chatting with Santa, tracking his sleigh or watching Santa feed live reindeer. The fraudsters create apps that appeal to kids, who download an app that looked really cool, inadvertently giving criminals access to every device connected to your home network.?

- Check app’s developers and reviews before downloading

- Restrict permissions when necessary, games may not need to know your location or contacts

- Uninstall apps that you don’t use

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10. Puppy scams

Scammers know few things pull at a person's heartstrings like a puppy. Scammers post fake litters online or pretend to be someone they’re not, usually an existing breeder, to take advantage of rising puppy sales. If you aren’t careful, you could send the ‘breeder’ money, and never receive a puppy or any follow-up communication in return.

- Research the seller, visit and inspect the pet yourself, meeting with the prospective seller in person. Legitimate breeders welcome the visit.

- Never send money via wire transfer to people or companies you don't know and trust.

- Search the internet for the picture of the pet you are considering, or text of the ad. If the same picture or text appears on multiple websites, it may be a fraudulent site.?

- Research prices for the breed you are interested in adopting or purchasing.

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11. Gift Card scams

Chances are you're buying at least one gift card this time of year. Fraudsters copy card number and PIN, then carefully place the card back in the rack, often behind other cards. Once activated, they can make purchases online before you've had the chance to gift it.? ?It is so widespread that everyone should avoid re-sell gift cards.? Check carefully for:

- Damaged packaging; tears or scratches on the card that might indicate tampering

- Signs that a sticker was placed over the original bar code.

- If you have any suspicions, talk to a store employee.

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12. Romance scams – Still a top fraud with FINTRAC!

Christmas can be a lonely time for some people and scammers may befriend people online by setting up fake profiles on dating websites, apps and social media. They then ask for money for an emergency situation or for a gift, particularly at Christmas and for supposed birthdays.

- Don’t share personal details, including contact information and never send or receive money

- Think twice before using your webcam

- Trust your instincts, If you feel like something is wrong, it may be. Be careful.