Fraud is everywhere, so is public information on preventing it. However, how many people spread this message. Fraud prevention isn’t sexy, it isn’t trendy, in fact to many it’s boring.
I like being one of the people who tries to find ways to make it less boring to the average person…enough so that information might just protect them one day.
March is Fraud Prevention Month in Canada, when private and public organizations involved in the fight against fraud an opportunity to raise public awareness. According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center, Canadians reported more than 47,000 complaints and lost more than $62 million dollars to frauds perpetrated through Identity Theft and Mass Marketing schemes in 2011. The focus for 2012 is “Recognize it, Report it”.
Throughout the month, RCMP, police, privacy officials and those involved in crime prevention work to get the word out. In the media world, we try to help them.
Online or Mass Marketing Fraud, Counterfeit Cards/Skimming, Investment Fraud, and Identity Theft are all very real risks in our community.
Anyone who suspects they have been victimized by fraud:
1. Report fraud to your local police agency.
2. Notify your credit card companies, banks and other financial institutions.
3. Review financial statements.
4. Change your PIN numbers and passwords on all bank and internet accounts.
5. Notify Canada Post and utility service providers.
6. Contact Federal/Provincial Identification agencies(i.e.SIN,Healthcare,Driver’s License)
7. Report to Canadian Anti-Fraud Center.
http://www.phonebusters.com/english/home-eng.html
8. Keep all communications and reference/file numbers.
9. Review/notify credit bureaus. http://www.consumer.equifax.ca/home/en_ca www.transunion.ca
You may say you will never fall for any of these schemes, but everyday I get calls from many people who do. And if you don’t fall for it, your child, your parent or your grandparent might.
The grandparents scam is a bad one, or how about those calls from people claiming to be from Microsoft who want to help you clear the viruses from your computer. You may know to hang up, but others may not.
Help us spread the word.
Many victims do not report fraud because they’re embarrassed. With romance scams for example, RCMP say less than 3 percent of victims report the fraud.
However, reporting fraud-related activity can help police gather the intelligence and evidence required to investigate specific crimes and to protect others from being victimized.
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams-fraudes/index-eng.htm
Join Fraud Prevention Alberta on Facebook or follow on Twitter at twitter.com/FraudPrevAB for updates, events and tips on protecting yourself and your family from fraud.
Julie Matthews
On Twitter @GlobalTshooter
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