The IT Nerd

To help Canadians avoid cyber risks and scams this season, Cybersecurity Expert and Director of TELUS Online Security, Leigh Tynan, has rounded up a few top scams of the holidays, and her tips & tricks to avoiding them below. 

Top Holiday Scams to Avoid:

• Shopping scams – watch out for unfamiliar websites offering low-cost items – if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Scammers may never ship the item you purchased and keep your payment information to rack up unauthorized purchases.  
• Lottery, sweepstakes, and charities – It’s important to be suspicious if you are ever asked to pay taxes or fees to the CRA on lottery or sweepstakes winnings – get more information about the charity, including whether or not they are registered with the CRA.
• Emergency scams: If a supposed loved one is reaching out for financial help around the holidays, make sure you confirm their identity by hanging up the phone and calling them back directly.

How to Protect Yourself this Season:

• Be mindful of “unboxing” day – Electronic devices are very popular gifts during the holiday season. It may be tempting to start using your new device right away after unboxing, but make sure you take the time to set up the appropriate security measures to protect any device against cyber threats.
• Monitor your financial accounts regularly to ensure all activity is yours, especially with increased holiday transactions.
• To help make cyber safety easy, TELUS Online Security offers a simple solution to help prevent cyber threats, help detect and alert you when you’re at greater risk, and help you recover if the worst happens. 

This entry was posted on December 20, 2023 at 2:01 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Telus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.