Many of us spend hours a day online – at work, at home and on the go. Unfortunately, so do Internet scammers who may be phishing for your personal information. In the spirit of March’s Fraud Prevention Month and helping consumers recognize, prevent and report fraudulent activities, today’s blog post focuses on what you might need to know about phishing scams.

Fraud Prevention Month, a month-long national initiative that helps Canadians recognize, prevent and report fraudulent activities, kicked off today. As in previous years, we’re going to mark this important event by sharing information with you throughout the month that’ll help reduce your odds of being targeted by fraudsters. First up: smartphones and the importance of protecting your data.

Well, mid-January is upon us and that can only mean one thing: it’s time to announce the Top 10 Scams, an annual list created in partnership between Consumer Protection BC, the BBB, British Columbia Securities Commission, the Competition Bureau of Canada, the RCMP and the Vehicle Sales Authority. From romance to computer scams, this year’s list is themed “just in case a scam is around the corner,” showing how even the most convincing promise can turn out to be not exactly what it’s supposed to be. Read on to learn more about this year’s Top 10 list and for tips on how to protect yourself against scammers.

What would you do if you wanted to buy a car but were a bit short on cash? What if you need a loan but have bad credit? Would you jump at the opportunity if a loan broker offered to secure a loan for you and all you had to do was give them $50 upfront? 

Last week, the Bank of Canada released the new $50 bank note into circulation. Have you had the chance to see one yet?

In many ways, credit cards make our lives easier. So long as you are realistic about how much you use your credit card, they can be a great way to take advantage perks such as travel points or cash back rewards. This being said, they can also be a source of frustration when they lost or stolen or if someone had made fraudulent charges. Here are some tips on reducing the risk of credit card fraud.

March is Fraud prevention month. With different types of fraud circulating within Canada, learning how to be aware of fraud and the ways to recognize it is important.  Read on for some key pieces of information to know about fraud from the Competition Bureau of Canada.

Now that all the New Year festivities have died down and we are making our way through the first weeks of 2012, here is an overview of the Top 10 Scams to watch out for. This list was created in collaboration with Consumer Protection BC, the Better Business Bureau of the Lower Mainland and the BC Crime Prevention Association.

March is coming to an end and with it we are wrapping up Fraud Prevention Month. Over the past five weeks, we have been sharing this year’s “What Would You Do?” columns which are based on real life consumer situations.  Have you read them?  Here they are!

Did you know that March is Fraud Prevention Month?  Last year, Consumer Protection BC wrote four columns for this national initiative.  The columns were all based on situations experienced by BC consumers who had contacted our organization for help.