Police urge public to be aware of fraud, report attempts
Four mass-marketing frauds – romance scams, extortion, phishing and service scams – will be highlighted in campaigns launched by a coalition of authorities to mark Fraud Prevention Month.
During the month of March, the OPP, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the Competition Bureau of Canada are joining police services across the country to promote public awareness to help prevent all Canadians from becoming victims of fraud.
During the past year, Canadians who fell victim to fraud’s destructive toll saw losses totalling approximately $97 million. That figure represents only the losses related to the approximately five per cent of fraud victims who report the crime to police.
Regardless of age, gender or location, everyone can take basic steps to better protect themselves from becoming a victim of fraud. Some tips include never giving out personal or financial information at the door, over the phone, by e-mail, through social media or via unsecured retail or dating websites, police suggest.
If you do fall victim to a scam, individuals are urged to continue to report them to police even if a financial transaction did not occur.
Fraud Prevention Month is about the fraud prevention community working
subsequently charged with ‘operation while impaired,’ ‘operation while impaired – blood alcohol concentration (BAC) 80-plus,’ ‘failure to stop after accident’ and ‘careless storage of a firearm.’ He was also served with a 90-day driver’s licence suspension and his vehicle was impounded. He is scheduled to appear April 6 at the Ontario Court of Justice – Goderich. together to create greater awareness and to highlight the various ways that all Canadians are being targeted by fraud. By emphasizing the education component, Canadians can be better prepared, say police.
If you or someone you know suspect they've been a victim of fraud, contact your local police service and the Canadian AntiFraud Centre by phone or online by creating an account in the Fraud Reporting System (FRS).
also used a forklift from inside the drive shed to steal a white 250-gallon fuel tank. The fuel tank was approximately half-full of diesel fuel. There was also a large fuel tank containing gasoline that was loaded on the forklift but was not stolen. The suspects used a farm tractor in the drive shed to ram the overhead garage door to another building located on the property, causing significant damage. It does not appear suspects entered this building. Perth County OPP continue to investigate the incident and anyone with information is asked to contact Police at 1-888-310-1122.
■ 2:53 PM | A 74-year-old Ariss woman was driving a school bus on St. Charles Street in Bloomingdale when, attempting to make a left turn onto Sawmill Road, her vehicle was struck by an eastbound blue Chevrolet SUV driven by a 69 yr-year-old Kitchener man. The Chevrolet struck the passenger-side door of the school bus. Emergency services attended and paramedics assessed the drivers at the scene – no injuries were reported. There were no passengers on the bus at the time of the collision. The SUV was towed from the scene. The driver of the school bus was charged with ‘failing to yield to through traffic.’