With the ever increasing use of the internet to get the best possible deal, and the convenience of shopping on line while everyone is busy around the holidays, Saskatchewan RCMP's F Division Commercial Crime Section is advising the public to use caution this holiday season.
One of the top three mass marketing frauds in Saskatchewan continues to be the 'merchandise purchased but not received' scam says Cst. Tyler Buchanan.
"This involves buying items on-line through common classified ad websites. In these cases, the seller (fraudster) generally instructs the purchaser (victim) to send payment via a commercial money transfer service (which does not have buyer 'protection').
"In the end, the seller never sends the item to the purchaser. Be aware that should the transaction be determined to be fraudulent, you will not likely recover your money. Some signs a purchaser can watch for which indicate the transaction could be fraudulent include that the item is normally a high priced item but the selling price is unusually low, or that there is an urgency to sell the item quickly.
"Even when making on-line purchases from brand-name companies, before you enter your personal and financial information, ensure that the website is secure," adds Buchanan. "You can tell a website is secure by looking at the website's address bar. Look for the closed padlock or a URL address that begins with https."
Another prevalent mass marketing fraud involves selling merchandise on-line. The seller (victim) places an item for sale listing a certain price. The buyer (fraudster) contacts the seller willing to purchase the merchandise, and eventually sends payment (usually in the form of a cheque/money order) for an amount exceeding the asking price, citing varying reasons for the "overpayment". The victim is instructed to send the extra money back to the fraudster usually through a commercial money transfer service, does so and later finds out that the cheque/money order is fraudulent.
"In the end, ask yourself, is this deal too good to be true? If it sounds like it might be, then it probably is."
Fraud Awareness is part of a national crime prevention campaign to increase Canadians' awareness of and knowledge about different types of fraud in order to help citizens to not become fraud victims. RCMP Saskatchewan's "F" Division Commercial Crime Section has offices in Regina and Saskatoon. Their role is to reduce the impact of economic crime on Canadians by maintaining the integrity of our economy through public education, crime prevention, and enforcement.
To better educate yourself with this scam and others, visit www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams or www.antifraudcentre.ca.
