Thursday (June 18) the City of Red Deer reported fraudsters have created a fake Facebook page and website appearing to be a City of Red Deer Transit Services page.
These false pages are using City of Red Deer logos and offering discounted transit services, while asking potential victims for personal information and money.
Red Deer RCMP would like to remind the public to be cautious of potential online scams, and offers the following tips on how to protect yourself:
- Confirm the legitimacy of businesses by checking official websites and contacting them directly before you act. In this case, only make purchases from the official City of Red Deer webpage.
- Guard your personal information and never share personal details (name, address, birthdate, banking info, etc.) until you have confirmed legitimacy.
- Protect your computer and accounts and be cautious of urgent-looking pop-ups and suspicious emails with spelling or formatting errors.
- Don’t click on unknown links or attachments.
- Use anti-virus software and keep your operating system up to date.
- Secure your online accounts with strong and unique passwords.
- Do not use the same password for numerous accounts.
- Don’t be afraid to say no. If a caller pressures you to buy something or send money immediately, hang up. Scammers often create a sense of urgency to manipulate victims.
- If someone calls about a family member in trouble, reach out to others before acting.
- Beware of upfront fees. In Canada, legitimate prizes do not require fees or taxes to claim.
- If you didn’t enter a contest, you’re not a winner.
If you believe you may be a victim of fraud, or are currently being targeted by fraud, please report it to the Red Deer RCMP at 403-406-2200, or your local law enforcement and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at 1-888-495-8501.
Instances of compromised personal and/or financial information should be reported to your bank and credit card company.
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