It’s officially December now which means millions of Canadians are heavy into Christmas shopping. Many of us still prefer going to a store or market to find that special gift while others get what they need online. Today is Cyber Monday, which means millions of people will be logging onto their computers to snag a deal just in time for Christmas. However, it’s important to be safe while shopping online. The RCMP, Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and Consumers Security Establishment Canada have teamed up to remind online shoppers to not get scammed this holiday season.
One of the first things they’re warning people about is to make sure sure prices are not too low or unrealistically cheap. Generally, if a price seems too good to be true, it probably is.
They also recommend watching for spelling errors and typos. Often, bad grammar is a red flag when making purchases online. They also remind consumers to make sure all important information is included such as return polices and proper contact information.
Something else government officials are warning about is to ensure payment is easy and straightforward and to be wary of any complicated payment processes. It’s never a good idea to save credit card information in your browser and to always make purchases on a safe, secure website. Consumers can determine a website is secure if they see a “padlock” in the URL bar or see an “s” in the http address.
Millions of Canadians are expected to make Cyber Monday purchases and billions will be spent on goods. A jump of 598 per cent is expected today in online shopping activity in Canada with the majority of purchases being smartphones and electronics. In fact, 59 percent of purchases online in Canada in the US this year will be smartphones. When it comes to global sales on Cyber Monday, Canada ranks fifth.
Cyber Monday has now surpassed Black Friday sales by nearly $3 billion.