General

Canadians lost more than $37 million to scammers in 2020 and a big part of this funds was lost due to fraudulent e-mail money transfer. My current job is to prevent fraudulent e-mail money transfers. I am using modern systems to gather information and decide should the bank complete transaction or not.

Top scam cases that we continue to see in 2020 and 2021 are bitcoin, Puppy, rental scam, and buy/sell scam. I would like to clarify on each type to help you understand and protect yourself in future. cryptocurrency had a new wave of popularity and scammers use it to their advantage. Always verify that the organization that is selling cryptocurrency is legitimate before you buy. Same goes with the puppy – do not buy pets on non-verified websites such as Kijiji and Facebook marketplace. Beware of upfront fees. If some one asks you to pay upfront – this is most likely a scam. Do not forget to protect your gadgets – especially computer and telephone. Install latest antimalware software and do not click on any unknown links in your email and messages.

In conclusion I want to make it truly clear that sending email money transfer is extremely comfortable and safe system to send funds to your family or close friends but not to buy products. Legal business usually uses bill payments or point of sales transaction, such as terminals.