In British Columbia, the first week of June has been proclaimed Seniors’ Week. The provincial government has created a great website for seniors called Seniors BC which can be found at SeniorsBC.ca. On this site, you will find information geared towards seniors such as finance, transportation and healthy eating.
Seniors can also access the provincial government’s Health & Seniors Information Line toll-free at 1-800-465-4911.
Consumer Protection BC celebrates seniors too. In the past, we have gathered consumer tips and scam warnings that may be of particular interest to seniors. Here is some key information:
Deceptive mailouts
Have you ever received a notice in the mail saying that you have won a lottery and need to send a small fee to the business in order to claim your prize? The bottom line is that you should never have to pay upfront for any prize.
The grandparent scam
In this scenario, a grandparent will receive a call from someone claiming to be their grandchild. This “grandchild” is in some type of trouble and needs money right away. Often the grandparent will send a money transfer in an effort to help their “grandchild” without realizing that they are actually speaking with a con-artist.
For more information on common scams, check out our blog posts under scams and fraud category. Happy Seniors’ Week!
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