Atlantic Canadians tell scammers to Fraud Off!

Mayor declares March as Fraud Prevention Month

Halifax, March 6, 2008 – Today, Fraud Prevention Forum members from Atlantic Canada and the Halifax Partners Against Fraud will participate in Fraud Off!, an education and awareness event for youth, hosted by the Bank of Canada, at Dalhousie University.

The issue of fraud is so important to Nova Scotians young and old, that Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly has proclaimed March as Fraud Prevention Month.

“Studies show that young Canadians are more likely to be victimized by fraud, especially fraud related to e-commerce. Unfortunately, they are not reporting these frauds to law enforcement agencies,” said Dermot Jardine, Assistant Deputy Commissioner, Competition Bureau. “This is why events such as Fraud Off! are so important in encouraging youth to recognize fraud, report it and stop it.”

A recently released Environics survey, conducted for the Competition Bureau, assessed 12 types of mass marketing fraud (MMF) targeting Canadians. Some startling numbers with regard to youth revealed that over the past year:

• victimization rates for those under 30 years of age was highest with regard to bogus health cure scams and unsuitable merchandise fraud; and
• 31% of younger Canadians are highly susceptible to being victimized by MMF operators.

Some quick tips to avoid falling for scams include:

• don’t be fooled by the promise of a valuable prize in return for a low-cost purchase;
• don’t disclose personal information about your finances, credit cards, social insurance and driver’s license numbers to any business that can’t prove it is legitimate;
• shred unwanted personal documents;
• check your credit report every year and report problems immediately;
• and finally, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Anyone who has been contacted by scam artists or has been defrauded, should call PhoneBusters, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre, at 1-888-495-8501.

This week marks the launch of the fifth annual Fraud Prevention Month campaign in Canada and around the world. Organized by the Fraud Prevention Forum, this month-long event is designed to raise awareness about the dangers of fraud, and educate consumers and businesses on how to recognize it, report it, and stop it.

The Competition Bureau chairs the Fraud Prevention Forum, which is comprised of over 100 members from federal, provincial and municipal governments, law enforcement agencies, consumer and volunteer groups, retailers and others in the private sector, who are committed to fighting fraud aimed at consumers and businesses.

The Competition Bureau is an independent law enforcement agency. We contribute to the prosperity of Canadians by protecting and promoting competitive markets and enabling informed consumer choice.

FRAUD: Recognize It. Report It. Stop It.

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