{"id":855,"date":"2022-01-24T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/?p=855"},"modified":"2022-01-23T16:27:37","modified_gmt":"2022-01-23T23:27:37","slug":"click-here-for-free-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpsites.ucalgary.ca\/isec-601-f21\/2022\/01\/24\/click-here-for-free-money\/","title":{"rendered":"Click Here for “Free Money\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Image taken from: https:\/\/pxhere.com\/en\/photo\/1566887<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All of us have probably seen some sort of ad similar to this on the web and most of us are able to tell that it false. Like the old saying goes \u201cif it is too good to be true it probably isn\u2019t true.\u201d However, scams have been getting more and more convincing the recent years to the point that it is hard for an average user to tell the difference. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre published that since November 30, 2021 to present day that nearly 46,000 Canadians were a victim to a scam\/fraud with over $231 million dollars lost [1,2]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scammers are getting more creative on their approach of stealing information from users. COVID-19 has made many people turn to online shopping as a means to purchase goods. Canada became the ninth largest market for eCommerce in 2020 with a revenue of $39 billion. [3] As online shopping increases the number of online scams will also increase; that is why individuals need to be wary when shopping online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many of you all have gift cards?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My guess is that almost everyone has received one at one point or another. \u00a0Gift cards are awesome when using them the first time as you often know the amount on the card. However, with cards being able to be reloaded with money it\u2019s hard to tell the balance remaining on the card. \u00a0Recently an ad has been brought to the attention of Reddit users about a Target gift card balance checker [4]. The website looks very similar to the Target website copying the company websites font as well as artistic style. The website worked by asking users for their gift card number and access code and then redirected to the legitimate Target website [4]. Users reported they were often confused as to what happened because they were redirected to the real target website. By the time the users ask for support or check the card balance in person, all the money on the card had already been stolen. \u00a0Similar websites have also been highlighted on Reddit of scammers making similar looking websites and getting the unaware internet user to fall into their trap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fake Target Gift Card Balance Checking Website [4]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What can you do to protect yourself from such scams?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has set out some tips that can help protect individuals from scams:<\/p>\n\n\n\n