Here’s how to protect yourself from fraud

It’s Fraud Prevention Month and hundreds of Quebecers have received Amazon packages they never ordered.

• Also Read: Grocery Shopping on Amazon: An Option to Save?

“If you were targeted by such a delivery, you should realize that your postal address has been leaked somewhere,” explains cyber security expert Steve Waterhouse.

In the past year, 92,000 scams were reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, with losses exceeding half a billion dollars.

“Often people think that there is no need to report a scam, but the authorities can be alert and compile the necessary statistics to investigate and prosecute,” said Mr. Waterhouse emphasized.

Scammers are active, deceptive and unscrupulous, and their schemes are becoming more sophisticated.

“The Internet ensures that the criminal is not just around the corner or in the nearest town, but on the other side of the planet,” explains the expert. “This communication confirms that we are in our cultural reality, but the reality is that in another time zone, many people think of these schemes and are able to implement them here through electronic means.”