We use cookies to offer you a better experience, analyze site traffic, and serve targeted advertisements. By continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Terms of use.

iafg-d
  • Individuals
  • Companies and Groups
  • Advisors and Brokers
  • Phone 1-800-463-6236
  • FR
  • Connect
    • My Client Space
    • Advisor Centre
    • Dealer Centre (UniFI)
    • Partner Centre (Rave)
iafg-d
  • Individuals homepage
  • Insurance
    • Coverage
      • Life insurance
      • Car insurance
      • RV insurance
      • Home insurance
      • Mortgage insurance
      • Health and disability insurance
      • Travel Insurance
    • Tools
      • iA Financial Compass
      • Term life insurance calculator
      • Critical illness insurance calculator
      • See all tools
      Life Events
      • Moving in together
      • Buying a home
      • Having a child
      • Starting a business
      • Planning your retirement
      • See all life events
    • I am already a client
      • Customer service
      • Make a claim
      • Find a form
      • My group insurance
      • Change my address
      • Change my beneficiary
      • Connect to My Client Space
      Advice
      • Advice zone
      • The value of an advisor
  • Savings and Retirement
    • Savings and Investments
      • RRSP, TFSA and other plans

        For my projects or my retirement

      • RRIF, LIF and annuities

        For my retirement income

      • RESP

        For my children’s education

      • Investment funds

        Segregated funds, mutual funds…

      • Private Wealth

        Stock market, stocks, bonds…

    • Tools
      • iA Financial Compass
      • Retirement calculator
      • Education savings calculator
      • RRSP loan calculator
      • RRSP calculator
      • TFSA calculator
      • See all tools
      Life Events
      • Saving for a project
      • Moving in together
      • Buying a home
      • Having a child
      • Starting a business
      • Planning your retirement
      • See all life events
    • I am already a client
      • Customer service
      • Find a form
      • My group retirement plan
      • Change my address
      • Change my beneficiary
      • Connect to My Client Space
      Invest better
      • Fund performance and overview
      • Guaranteed fund rates
      • Economic and financial publications
      • Economic news
      • Advice zone
      • The value of an advisor
  • Loans
    • Products
      • RRSP loans

        For my retirement

      • RESP loans

        For my children’s education

      • Investment loan

        For my financial prosperity

    • Tools
      • iA Financial Compass
      • RRSP loan calculator
      • See all tools
      Life Events
      • Buying a home
      • See all life events
    • I am already a client
      • Customer service
      • Change my address
      • Change my beneficiary
      • Connect to My Client Space
      Advice
      • Advice zone
      • The value of an advisor
  • Connect
    • My Client Space
    • Advisor Centre
    • Dealer Centre (UniFI)
    • Partner Centre (Rave)
  • About us
  • Careers
  • Contact us
  • Contact an advisor
FR

Advice Zone

  • Overview
  • My Vehicle
  • My House
  • My Family
  • My Projects
  • My Finances
  • My Career
  • My Involvement
  • My Security
  • My Retirement
  • Our Experts

Cybercrime: Tips for browsing the web safe from frauds and scams

A woman consults her laptop

Internet hackers try to hook victims by all means available to them to steal personal information and money.

Cybercrime is on the rise in Canada. From 2014 to 2017, fraudsters managed to take over $405,000,000 from Canadians1. Know the signs to protect yourself.

Spoofed websites

Anyone can get an internet domain address. Unfortunately, this ease of access means that fraudsters can create misleading sites imitating real websites like Facebook, or your bank. If you don’t see through the fraud, and enter your username and password, the fraudster will then have that information. Be vigilant when browsing: make sure the website has the correct URL and make sure the page looks like it usually does.

Even if a website looks good, it’s not a guarantee of reliability. Of course, real, trustworthy companies invest in their image and hire web designers and graphic designers. But experienced scammers, who have a lot of money or just some graphic design talent, can also create websites that look professional. Realism is sometimes convincing; don't be fooled by appearances!

Passwords

If your password is “123456”, “123456789”, “qwerty” or “password”, you should change it: these were the most common and most hacked passwords of 2019. Protect yourself by making strong and unique passwords. Never use the same password twice and change all your passwords once or twice per year.

Make sure your passwords are complicated. They should:

  • Be least ten characters long
  • Include upper case and lower case letters
  • Include numbers
  • Include symbols

Never use:

  • Words or proper names
  • Letters in keyboard order
  • Letters in alphabetical order
  • Numbers in order
  • Dates

Connecting to unprotected wifi networks

Avoid connecting your electronic devices to public wifi networks. They are not necessarily secure or protected and may have been hacked. If you decide to connect to a public network anyway, don’t enter any of your personal information and don’t log into any secure sites like your financial institution.

Social media

Limit the information you post on social media. Using the settings, make sure only your friends can see your profile. Only 42% of internet users take this precaution2. It’s a simple and easy step you can take to prevent access to your personal information. Never post publicly your workplace, the schools you attended, the location of your home, your date of birth, etc. Fraudsters can use this information to answer your security questions or steal your identity.

Online shopping

Over 80% of Canadian internet users made at least one online purchase in 20183, and just under half of them have had problems with their orders: packages arriving late, low quality products, damaged products, orders not received, etc. The golden rule of online shopping is: if a bargain seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Watch out for clues that indicate whether a seller is reliable. A secure site should have a URL address that starts with HTTPS or have a lock icon to the left of the URL in the address bar.

It’s generally safe to trust companies that have one or several branches in your area. However, make sure to always read comments from users who have done business with that company or individual.

Use a credit card that has a fairly low limit for your online transactions. That way, if your credit card number is stolen, the damage will be minimized. If a site offers PayPal as a payment option, that’s another sign that it is legitimate and reliable.

Subscription traps

All you had to do was pay shipping, or sign up with your credit card for a free trial? Seems like a scam! Before subscribing to a service or accepting a tempting offer, read the terms and conditions carefully as well as the fine print at the bottom of the contract in order to catch scams. Even when you do take these precautions, it can often be difficult to unsubscribe and stop automatic payments. If you don’t know the company, decline the offer, as tempting as it may be.

Miracle products

Miracle products are not legitimate, even if they sometimes seem to be. Don’t be fooled by the many persuasive sales tactics: testimonials from clients satisfied with a famous skin cream, celebrities singing the praises of a fantastic detoxifying green juice, models who swear by their diet pills, etc. In addition to scamming you, these products also present a danger to your health. Trust your doctor, your nurse, your pharmacist… but not an internet ad.

Dating sites

Even when looking for love on the internet you’re not safe from scams. Unfortunately, fraudsters can take advantage of your openness and vulnerability in these situations. Their schemes often involve sending messages back and forth with you for a while, complimenting you and gaining your trust, and then urgently asking you for money. Stay on your guard, especially if the relationship is moving very fast or if someone you barely know asks you to help them out with money.

Online investments

Ads and solicitations from organizations that say they can help you “make money fast” are suspicious. These ads try to bait you with a dream investment opportunity. It’s important to know that high return is usually synonymous with high risk, and no-risk investments mean low return.

Pyramid selling, multi-level marketing, binary systems, network marketing, matrix system, investment plans, donation circles… Whatever they’re called, these systems are illegal. Their strategies are similar: you have to pay an entry fee and lure in other investors, they make extravagant promises like high dividends and other gifts, and information about the investments is vague. Stay far away from these kinds of schemes, because once you get caught up in this, there’s little chance of getting your money back.

Never make investments using a credit card. This type of payment is never used by legitimate advisors and sellers. In any case, it’s always better to trust your investments to a recognized financial institution. Meet with an advisor in person to invest your money, for example, in investment funds or in the stock market. Only invest in licensed businesses. The Quebec Autorité des marchés financiers which regulates the financial sector has a register of firms and individuals authorized to practise and a blacklist of those to avoid.

The internet is full of many wonderful things, but there are also many traps. Beware the lures and surf the web carefully.

If you think you’ve been a victim of a fraud, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Find out how to catch phone traps with our strategies for uncovering phone fraud and protect yourself from unsolicited emails with our tips for fighting email fraud.



1 Competition Bureau Canada : https://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.Nsf/eng/04334.html

2 Statistics Canada Canadian Internet Use Survey, 2018 :
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-28-0001/2018001/article/00015-eng.htm

3 Statistics Canada CIUS 2018 : https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-28-0001/2018001/article/00016-eng.htm

Looking for advice?

A financial security advisor can help you take stock of your finances and suggest various options tailored to your needs.

Contact an advisor

Tools and advice

  • iA Financial Compass
  • 6 Security Tips for Social Media
  • What is social engineering?
  • What is the Internet of Things?
  • About iA
  • Careers
  • Contact us
  • Find an advisor
  • Make a claim
  • Connect to My Client Space
  • Advice Zone
  • Sustainable development
  • COVID-19
  • Site map
  • Unsubscribe
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy and security
  • Terms of use
  • Unclaimed property

INVESTED IN YOU. © 2023 Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. – iA Financial Group. All rights reserved.