Public urged to educate selves to avoid being scam victims

PRINCE GEORGE – With tax season just around the corner, it’s as good a time as ever to remind the public of the importance in protecting your personal information and taking necessary steps to ensure you, or someone you know, falls victim to a scam.

“The biggest thing is to educate yourself and be familiar that if someone cold calls asking for money, or says that you’re eligible for money if you pay money or give information, it’s probably not true,” said Cpl. Craig Douglass of the Prince George RCMP. “In fact, I can almost guarantee that it’s not true. Those types of things just don’t happen.”

According to the Prince George Council of Seniors, a recent scam that’s surfaced is from fraudsters claiming to be from Canada Pension offering to boost monthly pensions by hundreds of dollars by simply providing financial accounts for research purposes.

Douglass adds that the RCMP can only do so much in combating criminals that continue to stay ahead of the curve and remain profitable from their actions, adding residents need to do their due diligence to ensure they’re safe from scammers.