by MorinvilleNews.com Staff
Alberta RCMP are once again sharing resources in support of the Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association’s (ACCPA) Fraud Prevention Month campaign.
This week’s theme focuses on mass marketing and phone scams, which includes 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.
“Phone scams are typically employed to gain information or money from a potential victim,” said Cpl. Sean Milne, Alberta RCMP Provincial Financial Crime Team. “If you feel like something is off about an interaction, you have every right to say no and to end the call.”
RCMP offers the following resources to help Albertans avoid mass market and phone scams.
- 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.
Those who believe they are a victim of fraud, or are currently being targeted by fraud, are asked to report it to 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. More info on frauds and scams is available at CAFC’s scam webpage.