COCHRANE— With what many are predicting to be the largest increase in online shopping coming this holiday season, Alberta RCMP are sharing important tips that can help you avoid being the victim of online shopping fraud this holiday season.
Last year, there were over 1,200 reports of fraud greater than $5,000, nearly 6,000 reports of fraud under $5,000, and over 70 reports of unauthorized use of credit card data in Alberta alone.
With things moving more and more towards eCommerce, fraudsters are surely gearing up for this shopping season as well.
The RCMP has issued the following recommendations you can follow to help protect yourself online.
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Do not purchase anything online while using public Wi-Fi hotspots, such as Shaw Go, Starbucks or McDonalds wi-fi networks, or your school’s open wi-fi. Use your own data network, or home wi-fi to make online purchases.
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Make sure you research online retailers before entering your credit card information on an unfamiliar website. Check for customer reviews and their return policy.
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Only purchase from sites that use HTTPS rather than HTTP. Data transferred between a website that uses HTTPS is encrypted, while HTTP has no encryption. Data flowing between the server and browser that is unencrypted is easily stolen.
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Use stong passwords for online shopping accounts and change them regularly.
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If you choose to shop online, keep a close eye on your financial statements to ensure there are no unauthorized purchases.
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If a deal is too good to be true, it probably is.
Cochrane RCMP Cnst. Troy Savinkoff said the problems around the holiday season don't stop online, unfortunately.
While online fraud complaints aren't common in town, Savinkoff said, the Cochrane detachment does get a few calls every year.
Around Christmas, it's more common for mail and packages to be stolen from porches and mailboxes.
"We do see a few investigations and there are just so many different ways. Every once in a while, you'll get some of the mail theft that we that does lend itself to limited identity fraud. Mail theft, for instance, has a few different reasons that they commit it-- It's either to steal credit cards that they'll try to activate, potentially it's identity fraud, potentially it's that just looking for, around Christmas, they're looking for easy gift cards. Some have a very superficial reason for the thefts and then others have more complex reasons."
Savinkoff said best practice around this time of year is to try and schedule package delivery for times when you can be home, avoid leaving packages in mailboxes or strong boxes for too long, and to keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour in your area.
"We know that there's going to be an increase in package theft this year, there is every year," he said. "Certainly, last year, there was a very sharp, dramatic increase in town and in rural areas ... We're anticipating the same thing this year."
When shopping online, use trusted sites that have reliable reviews, and consider using a third-party app, like Paypal, to conduct your online commerce, Savinkoff said. Using a third-party service limits the number of places that you have to enter your personal details, he added.
Throughout the month of November, Alberta RCMP detachments will be providing tips and information about online security using the hashtag #CyberSecurity.
For online security and other crime prevention tips follow @RCMPAlberta on Twitter and @RCMPinAlberta on Facebook.
