Consumers are being warned to be extra-vigilant with online purchases as holiday-shopping time ticks down and desperation increases to find that perfect gift.
“People, when they’re desperate to get a little bit more money, are more quick to believe these scams, because they want it to be true,” she said. The tracker noted that nearly 36 per cent of all online retail fraud reports stemmed from a fake website, and scammers used social media and email to initiate about 40 per cent of reported scams.
That means consumers should watch for red flags like prices that seem too low, payment processes that are not straightforward, websites that look poorly designed, stores that omit key information like return policies, privacy policies and contact information, online stores that don’t have security elements or that make spelling errors within the URL of the website.
Victoria police Const. Terri Healy said it’s likely that online fraud is under-reported, as it’s difficult to investigate and most people deal directly with their credit card companies and financial institutions. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says consumers should never save credit card information in a web browser, and they should make online purchases through personal Wi-Fi networks, not public ones. If purchases must be made on public networks, use cellular data or set up a virtual private network. They also advocate doing research, reading reviews and using common sense.