RCMP are warning of a texting scam targeting Nova Scotians hard hit by Fiona. (Photo: Rendered in Canva)

The RCMP is encouraging Nova Scotians to be scam smart ahead of the busy shopping season. As retailers offer Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals scammers are also looking to cash in.

RCMP Corporal Wayne Ross says the more you know how to recognize scams you are less likely to be ripped off. According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, more the 43.000 Canadians have been victims of fraud this year and have lost $362.7 million.

There are several red flags that could indicate scammers are behind online sales. When shopping online, watch out for prices that are too good to be true, websites that are poorly designed with typos and odd URL” s, and websites that include an unusual payment process.

You are also advised to watch out for unsolicited emails that are promoting items for sale, this could be an electronic scam that a fraudster is using to gain personal information or payment data or to send a malware that could compromise your device.