‘You have to be aware:’ scrooge-like scammers eager to steal your holiday cash and identity

“Look out for huge and flashy discount ads that direct you to websites that look like they are legitimate manufactures. What could happen is you receive a product but it is much inferior in quality, and it could be dangerous to your health.”

Some counterfeit coats contain bacteria, fungi and mould. Labine said if you get a counterfeit item, the best thing to do is throw it away.

Fake charity and romance scams are also popular this time of the year, which cruelly play on people’s emotions to extort money. Close to $19 million was lost to romance scams across Canada last year, with B.C residents accounting for $2.7 million of those losses.

Several people in Nanaimo have fallen victim to romance scams in recent years, including a woman in her 70’s duped out of nearly $100,000.

Labine said a lot of these scammers are trying to pry away personal information in order to steal your identity.

“Keep an eye on your financial statements. If you see any suspicious activity, contact your bank right away. Keep an eye on your credit report as well. Any authorized activity, contact your creditors and advise them, cause scammers can and will open credit cards in your name.”

She said it’s important to take action as soon as possible if you suspect you’re the victim of fraud and said credit cards are one of the securest ways to retrieve stolen funds. E-transfers or direct deposits are much harder to get back once your money ends up in a scammer’s account.

Another phone scam that has been annoying people across Canada is an automated voice telling potential victims that the Canada Border Service Agency has received a suspicious package in your name and a warrant has been issued for your arrest unless you give them a call.

It’s a common extortion scam, said Labine, with 11,347 reported incidents of this happening in Canada so far this year.

“They’ll pretend to be Service Canada or the Canada Revenue Agency, they’ll pretend to be the RCMP. Their main objective is to steal people’s identity, and to scare them into giving them that information.”

She also said even if your caller ID says it’s from one of those agencies, it’s not always the case, as scammers have the technology to “spoof” their phones so the numbers can look like they are calling from anywhere.

She said the best advice if you’re not sure is to ignore the calls and reach out to the agency yourself using trusted contact information.

As for the scam calls?

“The best method is to not answer, and if you do, you hang up and then block the number right away, especially if they are calling your cell phone. Some landlines do have the capacity to block numbers, so contact your phone provider.”

In Nanaimo, RCMP Cst. Gary O’Brien says one of the most prevalent scamming attempts is something called “shoulder surfers”.

“When you are doing your shopping, they’re people who are looking over your shoulder to see whether they can read your pin when you are entering it. And then, they try to do a distraction theft on you to steal your wallet, and then with your wallet goes your pin they just gathered.”

O’Brien recommended to hold on to your receipts or make sure they are shredded, as there are professional dumpster divers who will go through dumpsters and gather receipts in hopes of gathering some personal information.

He also said to always keep an eye on your goods, as some more brazen thieves will patrol parking lots and wait for you to be distracted for a chance to make off with your freshly bought gifts.

He also mentioned being wary of porch pirates, as this is the time they are most active.

It’s also important to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre whenever you receive a scam call, even if they are unable to extort any money or information from you.

You can call them at 1-888-495-8501, or you can make a report online at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow

by Jordan Davidson

‘You have to be aware:’ scrooge-like scammers eager to steal your holiday cash and identity

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