TORONTO –
Countdown to the supermarket shopping Black Friday and Cyber Monday. While these special shopping activities originated in the United States on the first Friday after Thanksgiving, it is now a pastime adopted by many Canadian consumers and retailers.
But after months of COVID-related outages, you can be sure retailers and fraudsters alike will be happy to see you.
Here are some tips to help you stay safe when shopping online this holiday season:
BACK TO THE SITE BEFORE ORDERING
Stay away from sites that don’t provide basic contact details, such as an address or phone number, and watch out for obvious typos or grammatical errors in the website’s copy.
Only buy from sites with URLs starting with “https” – the “s” stands for secure and means it has a reputable payment system in place.
IT tip:
1) Only deal with companies with a reputation that you trust.
2) Shop using your home computer or a private and trusted Wi-Fi connection.
3) Go directly to the website to shop – don’t click on the link in the email, unless you can verify it’s from a reputable company.
4) Consider using only one credit card with a low limit.
5) Never give your date of birth, social insurance number or driver’s license to a seller.
WHEN BUYING AT THE STORE
If you go to the mall to shop in person, a few basic reminders: Never leave your credit card out of hand, and be sure to check your statement regularly for potential fraud. hidden. Staying away from a free Wi-Fi connection can be a hacker’s dream. Your data is easily accessed, downloaded, and identity theft can happen before you finish your coffee in the food court.
Finally, if you are a victim, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center toll-free at: 1-888-495-8501
Will I shop? You bet. I’ll list, compare prices, and shop safely from the comfort of my own home – after hours, of course.
