Tis the season to practice cyber safety

It's the month of online shopping and cyber deals, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Alberta RCMP would like to remind Albertans to practice cyber safety whenever they shop online. Many reports of unauthorized use of credit card data occur well after the incident, as people don't often realize they've been the victim of fraud until the next billing cycle.

In Alberta RCMP jurisdictions in 2023, there were a total of:

• 51 reports of unauthorized use of credit card data, with most reports occurring in November, December, and January.
• 2,399 reports of Fraud (money/property/security) greater than $5,000

• 6,374 reports of Fraud (money/property/security) less than or equal to $5,000
• 51 reports of Mischief involving data, such as "trojan horses," "worms" and viruses (8 in November and 3 in December)

In Alberta RCMP jurisdictions in November and December of 2023, there were a total of:

• 432 reports of Fraud (money/property/security) greater than $5,000
• 1,085 reports of Fraud (money/property/security) less than or equal to $5,000

Some tips for safe online shopping:

• Only buy from reputable sources. Don't let a steal of a deal lead to someone stealing your credit card info.
• Avoid using public Wi-Fi, especially when making transactions or accessing banking or other sensitive personal information.
• Use multi-factor authentication whenever possible, making it more difficult for criminals to access your accounts.
• Change your passwords often! Using a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters helps make them stronger.
• Phishing is a commonly used tactic for cyber crime. Phishing messages ask you to validate information by clicking links and may threaten you with legal action. Verify legitimacy by calling the company directly.
• Check your accounts frequently and review transactions often to ensure your information hasn't been compromised.

If you believe you may be a victim of fraud, or are currently being targeted by fraud, please report it to your local law enforcement and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at 1-888-495-8501. Instances of compromised personal and/or financial information should be reported to your bank and credit card company. To learn more about the various types of frauds and scams, please visit the CAFC's scam webpage.