March is Fraud Prevention Month

“We have had several instances where they have been victims of fraud, either by identity theft or some kind of romance scam or investment scam and they have been stuck with the bill,” Melody Desmarais, vice-president at Beverley & Associates Inc. “So, they end up with a significant amount of debt as a result of these scams that they have either used their credit cards to manage or, that their identity has been stolen and they have a very poor mark on their credit rating as a result.”

Many people may have received phone calls from the “Canadian Revenue Agency” telling folks they need to pay up, or they will be going to jail. There are also similar scam calls claiming to be The Canadian Border Service, Service Canada, and even Immigration Services. Scams come to you via email, text, or even Facebook messenger.

“If you receive a phone call like that, hang up the phone and call someone you trust. Be it the person they’re calling about or someone that you do trust because chances are it is a scam and it isn’t legit,” explained Cpl. Madonna Saunderson North District Advisory NCO “I can’t stress enough for people to simply hang up the phone, phone someone you trust.”

According to Desmarais only about 5 per cent of Canadians actually file reports of fraud. Desmarais says if it’s happened to you, be sure to report it as you could help protect yourself or someone else from being scammed.

by Randi-Marie Adams

March is Fraud Prevention Month

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