Tis the season for scams: How to avoid falling victim to someone on Santa’s naughty list

Santa isn’t the only one working year-round. 

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has released a naughty list containing 12 different scams that affect people every day of the year, but are at an all-time high as the holidays approach. 

According to a BBB report, scams have risen 87 per cent since 2015. The organization analyzes data and information gathered from consumer behaviours and scams that are prevalent within the community. 

“What we have discovered since about 2015 is there’s been a major surge of text scams,” says Wes Lafortune, media and communications specialist for the BBB serving Southern Alberta and East Kootenay. 

The 12 days of holiday scams 

There are many different kinds of scams to be aware of, as the BBB lays out in its 12 Scams of Christmas report. 

“These truly can be life-altering events for some people,” Lafortune says. 

Common messages individuals receive through text are geared towards either a punishment or a reward. 

“You get a text from, let’s say, Canada Revenue Revenue Agency, threatening to put you in jail unless you pay your taxes,” Lafortune says. 

“Or, on the other side of that, you might get a text saying ‘Wow, congratulations, you’ve got a cash prize waiting for you.’” 

In a digitized world with a large number of the population using cell phones for communication and entertainment such as social media, scammers are taking advantage. 

Online scams are even more prevalent this time of year 

There are different forms of online scams, but the two that Lafortune is highlighting are advertisement scams and fraudulent accounts. 

“You’ll see a great deal, such as ‘Get a diamond ring for $10,’ that kind of thing,” he says. 

“Or, [scammers] have been spoofing friends’ accounts, and they’ll say ‘I’ve got this great investment opportunity,’ and then you click on it and all of a sudden you’re taken to a site and they’re taking control of your computer.” 

It’s also common for scammers to target specific groups, such as seniors. However, Lafortune warns that scams aren’t exclusive to just one age group. 

“It’s every demographic right from young people in their 20s, and even younger than that, all the way to seniors. It can affect anyone and everyone,” he says. 

Romance, grandparents scams are especially damaging 

The romance scam has proven this fact in its ability to coerce people of all ages into building an emotional connection with their scammer. 

Lafortune says this type of scam usually happens over weeks or even months before the culprit asks for money.

“We’ve had a young woman in the Calgary area that lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to a scammer in a romance-slash-cryptocurrency scam,” he adds. 

Another scam currently impacting southern Alberta is known as the grandparent scam.

This ruse entails a scammer calling a senior, typically claiming to represent their grandchild who’s in another country or in jail and needs money, Lafortune explains. 

“The really scary part of this scam—which let’s call it as it is: a crime—is that the scammers are actually going out in some instances and collecting money from people at their home,” he says. 

This can lead to very dangerous situations, which is why it is so important for people to be on alert. 

Be on high alert over the holidays 

While scams happen every day of the year, it is good to be extra mindful during the time of year when lots of online shopping is happening in preparation for the holiday season. 

“My hunch is there are many more people doing online shopping prior to the holiday season. So it becomes kind of a numbers game. The more people that are online, the more opportunities there are for scammers to target people,” Lafortune says. 

One scam that takes advantage of online shopping is the common shipping scam. Lafortune warns that scammers will send out fake shipping notifications with a link. 

“They send you an email and you click on it. It’s a great way for the scammer to get private information about you and download malware onto your computer,” he says. 

All it takes is some extra precautions 

While being aware of particular scams can help individuals avoid them, other precautions can be taken to safeguard technology. 

Lafortune says it’s important for people to update their passwords and store them in a safe place. 

“Don’t share passwords with other people and make your passwords complex and very difficult to guess,” Lafortune adds. 

Another new form of protection that has become more popular is two-factor authentication, he adds. 

To avoid scams online, Lafortune says it’s important to be mindful of what links you are clicking on and make sure you are visiting secure sites. 

Hundreds of millions in losses 

Shopping locally is another great way to avoid scammers and it helps support the local economy.  

BBB represents up to 3,600 accredited businesses that have been vetted to ensure reliability, Lafortune adds. 

While these tips and tricks are great ways to avoid becoming a victim, people must also report scammers or potential scams. 

“Only about 5 per cent of people actually take the time to report a scam,” Lafortune says. 

The BBB estimates that $380 million has been lost to scams in North America alone in 2022. 

“You don’t need to be embarrassed about reporting a scam,” Lafortune says. 

“You can report what happened, what your experience was, and people will read those and they will learn from them.” 

To report a scam or a potential scam, visit the scam tracker website through BBB.