For most people, the holiday season is a time for giving. But for fraudsters and scammers, it's a time for taking.
Ontario Provincial Police are reminding people to be aware of a dozen common scams during the holiday season.
Killaloe OPP say they have investigated several gift card scams, offers involving bank loans and credit line scams, and emergency gift card scams in the last few weeks.
Here are 12 popular holiday scams you should stay on the lookout for this holiday season.
Counterfeit merchandise
If you see a huge, flashy discount ad that redirects you to a website that looks like the legimitate manufacturer's, be careful. It might be a fake.
Selling goods and services online
If you're selling things online, be wary of payment offers that are more than the asking price. And make sure you receive a legitimate payment before you send the product.
Crypto Investments
It's been a rough few weeks for crypto, but fraudsters are still using social media and fraudulent websites to take advantage of customers.
Ask for information on any investment you make online. Research the team behind it and analyze its feasibility. You can also verify if the company is registered by using this National Registration Tool.
Romance scams
These happen all year round, but can be more effective during the holidays. Someone with a fake identity online lures you into a web of lies spun with loving messages and sweet promises. The fraudsters play on your emotions to maximize their payday over time.
Online shopping
If a listed price for an online item—an event ticket, a vehicle, a puppy, you name it—is too good to be true, it probably is. It could be a fraudster posing as a genuine seller and posting a fake ad for something that does not exist.
Research before you buy and whenever possible, exchange goods in person or use your credit card for payment.
Phishing emails and texts
You may receive messages claiming to be from a legitimate source, such a a bank, phone provider or shipping company, asking you to submit or confirm your personal information. They may even include a malicious link to click. Don't click links in any strange emails and double-check the sender.
Secret Santa
Gift exchanges on social media can seem like a fun activity. You only send one gift and receive multiple in return. However, this exchange collects some of your personal information and also hides a pyramid scheme where only those on top profit.
Prize notifications
Congratulations! You got a random call out of nowhere that you've won millions of dollars, a fancy car, or a free cruise. You didn't even enter the contest! The caller just needs your personal information and a small fee payment before proceeding with the prize.
Remember: If you didn't enter, you can't win. You can't enter another country's lottery without purchasing a ticket from within that country.
In Canada, if there are fees associated to a prize, they are removed from the total winnings. You would never be required to pay fees in advance.
Emergency
Is a supposed loved one reaching out to you because they need money now and you're the only one they trust to keep it a secret? Resist the urge to act immediately and verify the person's identity by asking those questions a stranger wouldn't know.
Gift cards
Gift cards are a popular and convenient way to give a gift. They should also be considered cash: once they are exchanged, it is unlikely that you are getting your money back. Gift cards are not meant for payments and no legitimate business or organization will request them.
Identity theft
Make sure you keep your wallet on your person and cover your PIN at all times. Remember NOT to share passwords or provide your personal information.
Identity fraud
If a fraudster does get a hold of your personal information and is going on a shopping spree using your name, you need to act fast.
Contact your financial institutions and the credit bureaus Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada as soon as you notice any of the following:
Suspicious activity on your financial statement
Unauthorized activity on your credit report.
Letters approving or declining credit applications you did not authorize.
Re-routed mail.
Bills from service providers you do not use.
Your information was compromised as part of a database breach.
The federal government is seeking to delay the extension of assisted dying eligibility to people whose sole condition is a mental disorder until March 17, 2024. Justice Minister David Lametti introduced a bill seeking the extension in the House of Commons on Thursday.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
Will we see six more weeks of winter, or an early spring? Here’s what some of the groundhogs (and one human) have predicted so far, from coast-to-coast.
The United States has answered President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's plea for rockets that can strike deep behind the front lines of the nearly year-long conflict with Russia. Now Russian forces will need to adapt or face potentially catastrophic losses.
The organization regulating medical care and services in Manitoba is apologizing for racism directed towards Indigenous people when accessing health care in the province.
Australia is removing the monarchy from its bank notes. The nation's new $5 bill will feature an Indigenous design rather than an image of King Charles III. But the king is still expected to appear on coins that currently bear the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
It's about as strange (and cute) as holidays get. So how did Groundhog Day go from a kooky local tradition to an annual celebration even those of us who don't worry about winter can find the fun in?
On the day that Shubenacadie Sam predicted six more weeks of winter, there are warnings and statements cautioning that the coldest air of the season is about to arrive in the Maritimes.
Ontario has released a new 'connected' and 'convenient' health-care plan aimed at shortening wait times and localizing access to care across the province.
Three Richmond Hill residents have been arrested after police seized $500,000 in fake gift cards from a “sophisticated forgery lab” while searching multiple local properties last month.
A polar vortex is descending over Ontario this week and some of the coldest weather is still to come. Wind chills will also reach dangerous levels, increasing the risk of frostbite.
The next few nights are expected to be frigid in Montreal, with wind chill factors dropping to -30. In order to prevent anyone experiencing homelessness from ending up outdoors, the City of Montreal is announcing the opening of two emergency shelters.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
Highway 11 in northern Ontario is closed Thursday morning from Highway 66 near Kenogami Lake to Matheson after a collision involving several vehicles, police say.
One person has died after a two-vehicle crash in south London Wednesday night. Police were called to the scene on Bostwick Road around 7:20 p.m. and say there were five people injured in total and all five were taken to the hospital with injuries ranging from serious to life-threatening.
Wiarton Willie has predicted an early spring! The groundhog in South Bruce Peninsula didn't see his shadow at 8:07 a.m. on Thursday morning, meaning spring is on the way.
The organization regulating medical care and services in Manitoba is apologizing for racism directed towards Indigenous people when accessing health care in the province.
Wiarton Willie made his prediction his spring prediction Thursday morning at 8:07 a.m. The groundhog did not see his shadow, meaning we could get an early spring.
Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome was packed to the rafters with fans eager to take a look at Canadian phenom Connor Bedard and the 17-year-old did not fail to impress.
The Alberta government will unveil some of its planned improvements to the province's emergency medical services on Thursday, amid criticism that it's not doing enough to help with long response times and an ambulance shortage.
A former professional hockey player well-known for dropping the gloves is trying his hand at acting and will star in another season of the Canadian sitcom Shoresy.
Athabasca University's board of governors has replaced the president who resisted the government's demand to double the distance-learning school's number of employees who live in Athabasca.
A large crowd of around 700 students, faculty members and Lethbridge residents came out on Wednesday to protest a planned speech by Frances Widdowson at the University of Lethbridge that didn't take place.
B.C.'s Ministry of Health is continuing its multi-year trend of paying millions more dollars each year to private surgical centres for the delivery of public health care, CTV News has learned.
The over-representation of Indigenous people in Canada's justice system and the number of deaths of Indigenous people at the hands of police has the vice-chief of national Indigenous organization up in arms.
Paramedic logs from 2022 are highlighting some of the pressures Regina EMS workers have been facing for months including one instance where a patient died following offload delays at the hospital, the documents indicate.
keyboard, computer, type
