This March, the Alberta RCMP will be sharing information and resources in support of the Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association's (ACCPA) Fraud Prevention Month campaign. The campaign, which will include a weekly theme, seeks to educate Albertans on the many ways that fraudulent activity impacts their communities.
This week's theme focuses on mass marketing and phone scams, which includes, but is not limited to:
- Phone scams;
- Fraudulent telemarketers;
- Mass mailouts and/or subscriptions;
- Emergency and/or grandparent scams;
- Work from home schemes;
- CRA scams;
- Foreign lottery or prize schemes;
- Overpayment schemes;
- Inheritance schemes; and,
- Credit card interest rate reduction schemes.
How can you better protect yourself from these types of scams? Here are some helpful resources:
- Do not provide any personal information to an unknown caller;
- Learn the warning signs of caller ID, email and website spoofing; and,
- You have the right to say no to any questions and directly contact a business to speak to a designated representative.
"Phone scams are typically employed to gain information or money from a potential victim. If you feel like something is off about an interaction, you have every right to say no and to end the call."
- Cpl. Sean Milne, Alberta RCMP Provincial Financial Crime Team
If you believe you may be a victim of fraud, or are currently being targeted by fraud, please report it to your local law enforcement and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at 1-888-495-8501. Instances of compromised personal and/or financial information should be reported to your bank and credit card company. To learn more about the various types of frauds and scams, please visit the CAFC's scam webpage.
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