March is Fraud Prevention Month – Tips on Avoiding Scams and Fraud

Posted on by CARP

 Information posted March 7, 2014

Fraud and scams

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With thanks to the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services for the following tips.

March is Fraud Prevention Month, a good time to remember that some dishonest individuals or businesses may use all kinds of tricks to separate you from your hard-earned money.

Here are some ways you can protect yourself:

  • Never give out personal information about you or your family members over the phone to someone you dont know.
  • Dont believe someone who says you have won a contest that you dont remember entering. 
  • Never send banking or credit card information by e-mail to anyone claiming to be from a bank or government agency (such as Revenue Canada). Its likely a scam.
  • If youre uncertain or confused when someone calls you in distress and says that he or she is one of your grandchildren in need of money, tell the person you have to contact another family member to verify the situation. These grandparent scams have unfortunately become common.
  • Be skeptical if someone you meet online quickly proclaims their love for you. It may be a romance scam and the person may soon start asking you to send them money to help them out of some difficulty.

To learn more visit the Ministry of Consumer Services website at: www.ontario.ca/consumer