Fraud Prevention Month will launch on Tuesday, March 1, 2016 at 8:45 a.m. at City Hall.
Over the next four weeks, Edmontonians can expect to hear from EPS and our many partners about how to avoid falling victim to a seemingly endless plethora of scams. E-transfer scams, computer virus scams, phishing, tax and immigration scams, romance scams, door-to-door service scams — all with one thing in common — they prey on the unsuspecting.
“Fraud awareness is the key to prevention,” says EPS Staff Sergeant Sid Kingma. “The first line of defense is knowledge. These people who are conning seniors and newcomers, and anyone else who believes them, are very difficult to catch. But what we can do is try and shut off the money tap using education as a tool.”
According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center (CAFC), over $74 million was lost to Canadians through mass marketing fraud in 2014, up from almost $60 million in 2013 (based on reports to CAFC). Canadians between the ages of 60 and 69 are reported to be the most targeted by mass marketing operations, with phone and fax the most prevalent method of solicitation.
“As more and more people become victims of fraud, it is essential that the financial community, police and our community partners, work together to better educate the public to recognise these frauds from the outset to protect them from financial loss,” says Jeremy Nicholls, a senior manager with Servus Credit Union.
If you have been a victim of fraud, contact police by visiting a station, or call 780-423-4567. Please do not call 911 to report fraud. If you have not been a victim, but would like to report an attempted scam/fraud contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.