Holiday Scams To Look Out For In Canada

The holiday season is unfortunately the prime season for fraudsters to try and take advantage of others through scams, both online and in person.

Make sure the website you’re buying from is legitimate. Scammers can easily create websites that look like legitimate manufacturers.

They offer deep discounts to encourage buyers, but you might receive:

• Counterfeit products
• Lesser-valued goods
• Unrelated goods
• Nothing at all

Another type of fraud that you need to keep an eye out for is that of charities looking for donations.

The end of the year is always busy with organizations looking for money, but fraudsters will take advantage of this and use the names of legitimate charities to collect money from you.

You should confirm the charity is registered with the Canada Revenue Agency before providing any personal or financial information.

When spending increases, so does the risk of fraud. With the hectic and rushed activity around the holidays, and with more people buying online, especially those who are not internet savvy, there is a greater risk of losing money.

If you are a victim of fraud, you can contact the following organizations for assistance:

• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre – 888-495-8501
• Competition Bureau of Canada – 1-800-348-5358
• Calgary Police Department – 403-266-1234
• Peel Regional Police Department (Mississauga) -905-453-2121
• Redmond Police Department – 425-556-2500
• Vancouver Police Department – 604-717-3321

Watch out for these types of scams this year, because it’s not nice when fraudsters are naughty!