Media Advisory

Fraud Prevention Month - Interview Opportunity with Commissioner of Competition Bureau

Gatineau, March 16, 2010 — Internet scams have risen an alarming 77% since 2005. Virtually unheard of ten years ago, on-line fraud costs the economy millions of dollars each year, and individual Canadians their savings.

Often appearing to originate from familiar and trusted places, on-line scams are designed to draw individuals and businesses into fraudulent transactions. Last year over 40,000 complaints with a total reported dollar loss of over $59 million were lodged with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

The following scams are some of the most widespread:

• Job scams that promise high income with little effort, or being asked to send a cheque to pay for materials or information that allow you to work from home
• Health claim scams involving bogus products that make "breakthrough" health claims
• Business or investments opportunities such as illegal pyramid schemes
• Supply and merchandise scams that involve buying products over the Internet–for business or consumer use–that are never sent, or getting a bill or paying for merchandise that was not ordered or received

Commissioner Melanie Aitken will be available on Thursday, March 18 to discuss current trends in on-line fraud, recent steps taken to fight it and how Canadians can better protect themselves and their loved ones from it.

For more information on Fraud Prevention Month please visit
www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/fraud

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For media enquiries, please contact:
Media Relations
Tel.: 819-994-5945
Email: media@cb-bc.gc.ca

For general enquiries, please contact:
Information Centre
Competition Bureau
Telephone: 819-997-4282
Toll free: 1-800-348-5358
TTY (hearing impaired): 1-800-642-3844
www.competitionbureau.gc.ca
Enquiries/Complaints