Shoppers, beware of cyber scams this Black Friday and Cyber Monday, federal partners warn

From: Communications Security Establishment Canada

News release

Ottawa, Ontario, November 28, 2024 

The Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE) and its Get Cyber Safe campaign, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are reminding Canadian consumers to be vigilant of cyber threats while shopping online this Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

In the rush to secure deals online, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the big savings offered by savvy retailers. As cybercrime activity continues to rise, shoppers must take extra steps to help protect themselves from the risks of online shopping. In 2023, the CAFC received, 116,408 reports of fraud with over $575 million in associated losses. Online merchandise frauds accounted for $12 million of these losses.

The Get Cyber Safe campaign, with advice and guidance from CSE’s Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (the Cyber Centre), offers Canadians simple steps to protect themselves and their sensitive and personal information this Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It’s important to recognize signs of illegitimate online stores and purchase only from secure and trusted websites.

Canadians should be wary of:

  • prices that are too low - there’s a limit to how much consumers can expect to save
  • red flags about payment - for legitimate online stores, the process for paying for merchandise should be straightforward and standardized. Canadians should be wary of processes that seem overly complicated
  • stores that are missing key information - most legitimate retailers will have a return policy, a privacy policy and proper contact information for their business
  • web links that are missing security elements - a padlock symbol next to the URL in the address bar that is open or missing, as well as a website that does not have the “s” next to “http” indicates that the website and its data are not secure
  • typos or errors in the URL of the store - a common method of spoofing websites of popular brands is to substitute correct letters for ones that appear to be accurate, for example Go0gle.com

Canadian consumers are encouraged to take extra steps to protect their data and accounts when shopping online, to avoid falling victim to fraud. These steps include:

  • never save credit card information in a browser
  • always make online purchases through personal Wi-Fi networks
  • purchase from familiar retailers
  • do research and read reviews

Common sense is a good guide for staying cyber safe during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period.  A simple adage that is particularly applicable during the holidays is if something appears too good to be true, it probably is.

The Get Cyber Safe and CAFC websites offer Canadians important information and tools to stay cyber safe in all aspects of their lives. Visit the Get Cyber Safe holiday resources and Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s holiday scams and fraud pages to learn more about protecting yourself during the holiday season.

Quick facts

  • The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (within CSE) contributes expertise and knowledge to the Get Cyber Safe national public awareness campaign. It delivers key information via its website and various social media channels so Canadians and small-to-medium organizations be safe online.

  • GetCyberSafe.ca offers Canadians and Canadian small businesses important information and tools so they can stay cyber safe in all aspects of their lives. With information for everyone from youth, parents and older adults to small organizations, and general guidelines to follow when working from home, Get Cyber Safe has Canadians’ cyber security needs covered. The website also contains an assessment tool that Canadians can use to improve their cyber security habits.

  • The Cyber Centre is Canada’s authority on cyber security. With the Cyber Centre as the single unified source of expert advice, guidance, services, and support on cyber security for government, critical infrastructure owners and operations, the private sector and the public, Canadians have a clear and trusted place to turn to for cyber security issues.

  • The Get Cyber Safe Awareness Tracking Survey from 2024 demonstrates that Canadians continue to face cyber threats.

    • 1 in 4 Canadians feel they are not prepared to face cyber threats, primarily because they feel one can never really be protected online.
    • 1 in 4 Canadians say they have been the victim of cyber attack like an email scam, malware attack, text scam, phishing scam, social media account hack or identity theft.
    • 7 in 10 Canadians feel confident that they could protect themselves online as long as they have trustworthy information on the steps to take.

  • The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is Canada’s central repository for information about fraud. While collecting and maintaining information, they are also a national police service that supports law enforcement with disrupting crime, strengthening partnerships between the private and public sectors and maintaining Canada’s economy. They also provide fraud and cybercrime prevention and awareness materials to the public in an effort to reduce victimization.

  • The RCMP’s National Cybercrime Coordination Centre specializes in fighting cybercrime through a coordinated approach. They're a national police service that serves all Canadian police agencies and partners in their efforts to address cybercrime.

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2024-11-28