CONSUMERS CAUTIONED ABOUT COMMON SCAMS

DON'T BE A VICTIM

OF COMMON SCAMS

To kick off Fraud Prevention Month, Solicitor General John Les is warning British Columbians about three common types of fraud perpetrated over the past year.

“Web-based commerce is opening new horizons for scammers, while others rely on tried-and-true schemes,” said Les, the minister responsible for consumer protection. “Consumers should know who they’re dealing with in all their business transactions and keep in mind that some types of fraud are sophisticated and pervasive – if it sounds too good to be true, there’s a good chance it’s a scam.”

The Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority of B.C. (BPCPA) has identified three common types of fraud reported to it over the past year as involving:

• Advance-fee loans. These require consumers to pay a fee before receiving a loan, which is illegal in Canada. Borrowers should never have to pay money to get money. The BPCPA has received 100 calls about this type of fraud since the beginning of 2007.
• Prizes with a catch. Consumers continue to be duped into paying processing charges to receive prizes. Innocent, usually elderly consumers are contacted by phone or mail, told they’ve won a wonderful prize like a trip or car, and asked to send in money to cover a related cost, such as delivery. The prize never arrives. In the past year, the BPCPA has frozen over $255,000 in assets related to this type of scam.
• Internet sales. Although many legitimate companies sell online, scammers get consumers to pay for products they order, but never receive. People buying over the Internet should do everything they can to know who they are dealing with before making purchases.

The BPCPA also recommends being wary of aggressive sales tactics, keeping records of online and other transactions, and reporting incidents of fraud to police, even if the amount involved is small. The authority’s website at www.bpcpa.ca has more tips on deceptive mailouts, phone calls and Internet sales.

The BPCPA is a not-for-profit corporation established in 2004 to strengthen consumer protection in B.C. It promotes a fair marketplace for B.C. consumers and businesses by delivering consumer protection services, promoting fairness and understanding in the marketplace, and enforcing consumer protection laws.

A high-quality audio clip of Minister Les talking about fraud prevention is available to media at: http://www.mediaroom.gov.bc.ca/DisplayEventDetails.aspx?eventId=401.

RCMP SCAM ALERT WEBSITE

For more information about consumer fraud and how to protect yourself you should visit the RCMP 'Scam Alert' website by clicking here.