Don’t get fooled by sites selling fake Canada’s Wonderland tickets
Buyer found an amazing deal, but cancelled card after finding his money was sent to China
Kamlesh Parmar works for a software company. He thinks he can spot an online scam.
But when his friend posted a Facebook link to Canada’s Wonderland tickets, he paid $35 for what he thought was a great bargain. A single-day ticket costs $62 at the gate and $48 at the amusement park’s website. He bought his ticket at a site called the Red Deals, which had many reviews from happy customers. However, some people said the company took too long to deliver the tickets after they paid.
As a frequent visitor to a well-known deal site called Red Flag Deals, Parmar admits he was confused by the similar names.
“I showed the site to some friends and we’re all impressed with how good a job they’ve done,” he says. “I think it’s a good story that would help others, since I was surprised I fell for it so easily.”
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre received 16,000 complaints about email and website scams in 2013, accounting for $29 million in reported losses, says the RCMP.
They partner in the anti-fraud centre with the Ontario Provincial Police and the Competition Bureau.
“Cybercrime is expanding,” the RCMP writes in a report on new ways of policing in a digital era. “Through information technologies, criminals are expanding their reach to commit entirely new crimes and old crime in new ways.”
Parmar had used his TD Gold Elite Visa Card to buy the ticket. Luckily, he had also arranged with his card issuer to get a text message each time he made a purchase.
The text message said he had paid TheRedDeals.com in Beijing, China 175.03 CNY (which stands for Chinese yuan remnimbi). Suspicious about the foreign currency, he tried to contact the company.
The Red Deals website shows an Edmonton post office box as its address. It has a 1-800 number that leads to a recorded message, saying it’s out of service.
The Better Business Bureau in Alberta gives the company a Drating on a scale of A+ to F.
It says the lower rating arises from a failure to be transparent about ownership, location and products offered, plus a failure to deal with one complaint filed against the business.
Parmar acted quickly. He called his bank, which advised him to fill out a report with the RCMP. He also called the amusement park and spoke to Allan Ross in the security and loss prevention department.
“Hello Kam, The Red Deals is not a licensed distributor for Canada’s Wonderland tickets,” Ross wrote back to him. “The confirmation number you have provided me has been flagged by our department as fraudulent and the tickets for this reason cannot be honoured.
“I hope you can have this resolved with your credit card company, as Canada’s Wonderland did not receive payment for this order.”
Parmar says his Visa issuer cancelled the card right away and will send him a new one. It will also provide a refund, which may be a bit less than $35 Canadian because of daily currency fluctuations.
“I’m lucky I was able to cancel the card right away,” he says. “Most people wouldn’t realize they got scammed until they see their statement in a month.”
My advice: Online bargains can look convincing and credible. Always be skeptical.
Try to check with the company whose products or services you are buying before giving your credit card number to a deal intermediary.
Watch for errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation; overseas marketers often fail to write in clear English.
“I’m lucky . . . most people wouldn’t realize they got scammed until they see their statement in a month.”
KAMLESH PARMAR
SCAMMED ONLINE
The Red Deals site said: “This item has no valid for Wonderland Halloween haunt.”
Parmar received an email with his ticket that had several errors, such as: “Please print the attachment and bring it with you when entrance.”
And in an email thanking him for the purchase, the Red Deals said: “We hope you had best shopping experience with us. Simply reply this email if you have additional question.”
“Canada’s Wonderland works with numerous police agencies and financial institutions to assist in shutting down websites selling fraudulent tickets to the park,” said the park’s Shannon Kelly, manager of public relations.
“We have also undergone several measures to block fraudulent transactions, and to inform guests with fraudulent orders their tickets are not valid and to contact their financial institution. The safest way to purchase tickets is through our official website, canadaswonderland.com. ” Ellen Roseman writes about personal finance and consumer issues. You can reach her at eroseman@thestar.ca or ellenroseman.com