March is Fraud Prevention Month, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is working to ensure people have the tools to avoid falling victim.
BBB regional director Vikta Paulo told CTV Your Morning Ottawa that the most common scams they’ve seen are purchasing scams, employment scams, and phishing scams.
Purchasing scams
“One thing you have to double-check is the source of who it’s coming from,” said Paulo.
“When you’re looking for it online, a lot of times you are being prompted different advertisement things, be it on Facebook or Instagram, that say, ‘Get this item, one-day delivery,’ and somehow, it’s half the price.”
He says red flags include requests for payment in cryptocurrency or by e-transfer, and not being able to obtain a receipt or return the item if something is wrong.
“You want to make sure there’s a secure connection for the purchase,” Paulo said.
Employment scams
Canada’s unemployment rate rose to 6.7 per cent in February, with youth unemployment at more than 14 per cent.
With a lot of people looking for work, Paulo says to watch out for job advertisements that seem too good to be true.
“A lot of these ads will offer you a huge amount of pay for not a lot of work, and who wouldn’t want that, right? But now, a lot of people on average, when it comes to dollar amounts they’re losing, is around $1,500,” he said.
The lost money often comes in forms of up-front costs the scammers say is for training or other things, which is a red flag to watch out for. Paulo also noted that job applications often include very sensitive information.
“A lot of times, when you do apply for work, you give your first name, last name, social insurance number, banking information. These are things they take from you, just to find out there’s no job at the end of the day,” he said.
Phishing scams
Phishing is the process of obtaining sensitive information through fraudulent means, often by way of links pretending to be for legitimate businesses, such as banks.
Paulo says, with AI making these types of scams look more professional and harder to spot, everyone needs to be careful.
“One thing about banks which you should always know is that they will rarely ever call you or send you text messages to end up having to divulge your personal information,” he said. “Always call your bank if you do receive a suspicious phone call or you do see these kind of links. As a rule of thumb, never click a link from a source you’ve never seen before.”
The BBB has a scam tracker on its website that allows you to search for reported scams and find resources to help you better avoid falling victim.
Paulo says if you see something suspicious, report it.
“We’re only as good as the information that we receive. It’s very important that you do utilize these services. The more we know, the more we can let our audience know, and the safer we can protect ourselves.”
