MEDICINE HAT, AB – With the ever-increasing amount of people online, more scam artists are online too.
Over the last two years, the number of frauds taking place online has doubled.
According to city police, one of the major areas of concern is people buying cars online when people find a great deal.
Police say the seller will ask for a down payment or a deposit to put the car on hold, the seller will then send an address where they want to meet up. But the seller won’t show up and will instead pocket the money.
It’s important to keep your eyes out for red flags when buying items online, say police. They recommend asking a lot of questions, asking for pictures, meeting in person. And if the deals seem too good to be true, they more than likely are.
Sgt. Adam Gregory with the Medicine Hat Police Service says it’s important to look over things with a critical eye to avoid being scammed
“We live in an ever-changing online world at the moment, and as citizens and as police we’re always going to be behind the new kinds of fraud online that are coming out. So as we learn about the new ones and we conquer them or as we step up to them and learn more about them, new things are going to come out.”
According to Gregory, another area of concern is phishing, where a link will be sent to you and scammers will try to get a hold of your sensitive information. Some scammers will also pretend to be someone you know and will try to get money that way saying it’s for an emergency.
If you are a victim of fraud, police are saying report the crime immediately online or through their non-emergency line at 403-529-8400.
