For many, it’s the season of spending.
And with it comes a host of scammers wanting to take a little — or a lot — of your hard-earned money, or your personal information, through fraudulent means.
That has financial institutions and information security companies reminding the public to keep their purse strings secure while they are shopping online or in the stores during the Christmas retailing frenzy when attempts traditionally rise.
According to Vancity credit union, one of the more prevalent schemes is waged online against victims who don’t even need to leave their home to be targeted.
It’s called phishing and involves emails sent to you which look legitimate, but try and draw from you personal information such as bank account numbers and passwords.
Sometimes, the request is made by what may appear to be a financial institution you deal with, requesting an account update.
If something does not seem right, the best course of action is to call your bank to verify if they have issued such a request.
And if you receive what you think is a phishing attempt, make sure you let someone know.
“We advise our members to report a scam immediately if they suspect their personal information may be compromised — and to check their banking information so there are no surprises,” said Doris Orr, chief risk officer of Vancity.
Victims of phishing are not always individuals, either, said Dale Jackaman, a longtime Richmond resident and president of Vancouver-based Amuleta Computer Security and Investigations, which specialises in dealing with identity theft.
Jackman said businesses also fall prey to phishing.
“For those attempts, organized crime digs in a little deeper for details,” he said, adding they often source a list of a firm’s clients.
“The big scam out there is criminals will represent themselves as a client saying they have just changed bank accounts and request future payments sent to that new account,” Jackaman said. “It’s amazing how many times they score a hit with that.”
One defence against that type of fraud is to disregard all emails dealing with bank account information requests and deal directly in person with your financial institution or clients.
Another is to examine the URL link you have been requested to access in order to transmit your information.
Usually, the URL has no relation to the bank or firm being misrepresented.
When you do decide to venture out into the malls, Vancity has some tips to help keep you from being a target of scam artists and thieves.
• Be a scrooge with everything related to your identity;
• Don’t take a big purse shopping and limit the amount of bank cards, credit cards and identification you take with you;
• Be extremely cautious when shopping online;
• Buy gift cards directly from merchants or from an authorized sales merchant;
• Be wary of filling out online forms that request personal information;
• Remain vigilant, protect your PIN and ensure no one is shoulder surfing when you put it into an ATM or a payment device;
•Keep an eye out for those door-knocking fraudsters representing a fake charity or selling magazine subscriptions to raise money for a worthy cause or school trip that may not exist;
zDon’t leave gifts visible in your car with receipts that have personal information on them;
zAvoid broadcasting on social media you are flying off to a warm, holiday vacation.
