March Is Fraud Prevention Month

The competition Bureau of Canada has this to say: "Scammers are sneaky and sly. They can target anyone, from youngsters to retirees. They can also target businesses. No one is immune to fraud." 

 

With the recent announcement of licence plate sticker refunds, a number of scams have launched to trick Ontarians. A number of text messages are being sent out which should not be trusted (see below)

 

Voicemails are another tool also used by scammers. "The voice message is a common tactic used to intimidate the receiver using an authority figure and the “looming arrest warrant”, warns Constable Kevin Martin of the South Bruce OPP who received a voicemail on his own phone. "The fact that it was left on a police officer’s phone highlights the 'mass marketing' concept – they don’t check to see who they are contacting, they simply send out a bunch and hope for a connection with someone. This message is intended to scare the recipient into making contact with the con artist – it’s so important that your residents DO NOT make that contact."

 

Attached to this article is the Little Black Book of Scams from the Competition Bureau and it is a great resource to review and to help you stay in the know.