Shopping scams on the rise, police say

It may be the season to be jolly, but Calgary police are reminding the public it’s also the season to be vigilant.

With the holiday season comes an influx of online shopping and, with it, the possibility of having your credit card information compromised.

Staff Sgt. Cory Dayley, with the Calgary Police Services’ cyber forensics unit, said the old cliche stands true in the holiday season that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

“You need to take an extra look at some of the digital material you receiveon social media or email ,” Dayley said. “We’ve seen a huge escalation in text messages asking people if they want to be secret shoppers, especially during the holiday season.”

In a year full of scams hitting the Calgary area, this time of year will see a variety of scams put into motion, which are not targeting any specific age group. “Just like door-to-door type solicitation, it can get anybody. It’s unfortunate, and that’s the horrible thing about fraud. It’s taking advantage of people’s goodwill,” Dayley said.

If you’re primarily shopping online, pop-up scam windows with flashing warnings about your computer being infected should also be treated with caution.

Be wary of any messages prompting you to call a phone number to fix your computer — scammers at the other end of the line could be seeking access to your computer and, with it, access to all of your personal information.

Dayley said he knows people are embarrassed about coming forward, but urges anyone who has been victimized to report it.

“‘My credit card has been compromised,’ and a lot of time it’s not because of something we have done, but it’s completely out of your hands. You’re targeted and you don’t know what is going on,” he said.