As many of you know, each March, like-minded organizations in Alberta launch Fraud Prevention Month. Our partners include the Calgary Police Service, RCMP, Alberta Blue Cross and many more. This collective sets out to prevent fraud and scams from occurring.
In Alberta, and across Canada, scams cost consumers and businesses hundreds of millions of dollars each year. And that’s the fraud we know about. Most people never make a report to the authorities when they have been scammed. BBB research shows that the number is as low as 5% of people who make a report. This means the problem isn't big: it's huge. Yet, there is a simple and potent solution to combat this: Information from reliable and trusted sources.
When consumers learn how to stop being scammed, it works. They don't fall for the grandparent scam where the criminal on the other end of the line claims one of your grandchildren (who they say are out of the country) has been injured, arrested, or otherwise compromised and is in desperate need of cash. Your cash.
Those who learn about scams don’t get ripped off by the fraudster pretending to be a bank inspector on a “top secret investigation" in which they need you to make a large cash withdrawal from the local branch of your bank.
You’ll also recognize right away when somebody calls you out of the blue to offer “tech support” for your computer, that it’s a scam.
The scams are endless, but knowledge is the consistent and powerful answer to stopping them.
The bottom line is it’s OK to maintain a healthy sense of skepticism, especially when it comes to your hard-earned money and personal information.
If you need help to learn more go to our website at BBB.org where you’ll find a trove of information about scams and how to stop them. Better yet, contact our Calgary office and talk to us about setting up an information session for you and your friends. This service is free.
And of course, throughout the month of March you’ll surely see, hear, and read news items on television, radio and print about Fraud Prevention Month offering valuable information on how to prevent fraud. Please carefully consider this information as you begin to arm yourself against fraud.
Happy Fraud Prevention Month from our team at The Better Business Bureau.
By Mary O’Sullivan-Andersen, President and CEO, BBB Serving Alberta and East Kootenay
