CPS hosting Fraud Prevention Month workshops at Central Library

Mar 3 2020, 6:01 pm

March marks Fraud Prevention Month in Canada, and the Calgary Police Service is wasting no time in kicking into gear.

The service has announced in a release that it will be hosting fraud prevention workshops at the Central Public Library all throughout the month, touching on a range of different topics each week in an effort to educate the public on how to keep their finances secure.

The release also noted that CPS had received approximated 5,500 reports of fraud in 2019 and an estimated 5,600 cases in 2018.

“While the numbers have stayed relatively close, police and local Fraud Prevention Month partners continue to work together to help citizens spot the red flags of common scams,” reads the release.

The month will kick off with CPS going over cybercrime and online scams, including phishing scams, employment scams, marketplace scams, online ticket scams, online identity theft, and WiFi hacks from March 2 to 6.

The following week will go over identity theft and fraud including phone and email scams and mail theft.

March 16 to 20 will touch on business scams and frauds, such as fake invoice scams, mortgage fraud, money laundered through real estate, sham charities, door-to-door scams, credit card fraud, and employee theft.

The last week of the month will educate Calgarians on mass marketing and phone scams, wherein victims receive calls from spoofed numbers, calls from fraudulent telemarketers, or mass mail-outs or subscriptions.

The Calgary Police Service won’t be the only organization on scene, either, as they will be joined by a large number of Fraud Prevention Month partners including The Real Estate Council of Alberta, Better Business Bureau, The Competition Bureau, The Bank of Canada, The Canadian Revenue Agency, Service Alberta, The Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association, The Justice Studies department of Red Deer College, The RCMP, The Electronic Recycling Association, Alberta Securities Commission, Crime Stoppers, Immigrant Services Calgary, and the Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council.

Anyone who has been a victim of a fraud or scam can report it to CPS at their non-emergency number of 403-266-1234.

Tips can also be left anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477 or through their website.

Chandler WalterChandler Walter

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