March is Fraud Prevention Month By Financial Consumer Agency of Canada Updated 19 hours ago
When you're sitting comfortably in front of your computer, it's easy to feel like you're the only one surfing the Web.
Remember, though, that you actually have plenty of company, and some of your fellow surfers are up to no good.
As part of Fraud Prevention Month, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) reminds Canadians to protect themselves from Internet and email fraud.
"Fraud can take many forms. Nobody is safe from it, not even the most knowledgeable consumer," says FCAC Commissioner Ursula Menke.
One common form of fraud is "phishing," where a victim receives a fraudulent email that appears to come from a legitimate organization, such as a Government of Canada department or the victim's own financial institution.
The email instructs the consumer to visit a false website, download fraudulent content or provide confidential personal information.
With your personal information, such as your date of birth, passwords, Social Insurance Number, credit card or bank account information, fraudsters can use your credit card accounts or get new credit cards, and make purchases that you will be responsible for paying for.
How can you avoid falling victim to Internet or email fraud?
• Never give out personal information:
• Never give your date of birth or social insurance number by email or on a website, unless you trust the site you are on. Check that there is a padlock icon in the Web browser window and that the electronic address begins with "https://."
• Open a single browser window at a time: Do you use online banking? Don't forget to clear your computer's memory cache when done.
• Never allow your computer to remember your passwords:
• Change your passwords regularly and do not share them with anyone. You can be held responsible for unauthorized transactions on your bank account if you are found to have divulged information about your account, such as your password or personal identification number (PIN).
• Make sure your computer's antivirus protection is up to date:
• Protect your computer against viruses, spyware and malware and use the latest version of your Web browser.
• Check electronic addresses included in emails:
• Before opening attachments or clicking on links to electronic addresses, make sure that they are related to the subject of the email.
• Access websites using the address bar:
• Never click on links included in emails. It is safer to type the names of sites into the address bar.
Anyone who manages to collect enough personal information about you can easily steal substantial amounts of money from you. Identity theft is a serious problem that everyone must take precautions against.
FCAC has a number of resources to help Canadians protect themselves against different types of fraud; in a video success story, Ken MacDonald, Crime Prevention Coordinator with the New Glasgow, Nova Scotia Police Service, offers some advice about preventing telephone fraud and identity theft.
FCAC also publishes tip sheets to help Canadian consumers protect themselves against fraud. These are available on the Agency's website at moneytools.ca .
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