With March named Fraud Prevention Month, Alberta RCMP and the Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association are informing the community to be wary of different forms of fraud that they can fall victim to.
A few frauds that they warn to be wary of include:
- Relationship scams, which include romance scams, grandparent scams, and extortion scams. The RCMP advises to never send money to people that individuals meet online.
- Investment scams and fraud that take place on social media, Ponzi or pyramid schemes, cryptocurrency schemes, real estate scams, and offshore investment scams. They warn to remain wary of high-pressure sales and to always seek professional advice before considering investments. The RCMP advises Alberta Securities Commission’s Checkfirst.ca as a resource to learn more about avoiding this type of scam.
- Online scams and fraud through phishing emails, job scams, buy-and-sell fraud, lottery and prize scams, tech repair scams, and impersonation scams. RCMP warns to always remain cautious when sharing personal information online, and to always report any suspicious activity to police.
- Mass Marketing and phone scams via spoofed phone numbers, fraudulent telemarketers, work from home cams, Canada Revenue Agency impersonators, foreign lottery and prize schemes, overpayment schemes, inheritance schemes, and credit card interest reduction schemes. To avoid falling victim to these schemes, the RCMP says to never give personal information to unknown callers.
For anyone who believes that they are victim of fraud, or are being targeted by fraud, they can directly report it to local law enforcement and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by calling 1-888-495-8501. All instances of compromised personal or financial information should be reported directly to your bank or credit card company. For more information on frauds and scams, please visit www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
