With the convenience of making purchases at your fingertips, Sarnia police are again encouraging residents to be safe and secure shoppers.
Constable John Sottosanti said a scammer was selling gift cards at a significantly discounted price in a recent incident.
He said it's important to take steps to protect yourself when shopping online, especially when it comes to purchasing items through platforms like Marketplace or Kijiji.
"Please realize there is a strong potential for these cards to be either fraudulent or stolen," said Sottosanti. "Cards need to be activated at the time of purchase and thus when stolen from the display may not be active."
Cst. Sottosanti said merchants generally keep a record of issued gift cards.
He said if there is no invoice that it was sold, the card or certificate is invalid and you may find yourself in possession of stolen property or a fraudulent document.
Cst. Sottosanti said it's important to always remember the old adage, "when something looks like it is too good to be true, it probably is."