As some of you may know, March is Fraud Prevention Month and the Better Business Bureau serving the Lower Mainland (BBB) has released the Top 10 Scams of 2016. Educating yourself on some of the most reported scams within the last year could mean the difference between falling for a scam and being wise to it. Read on to learn the most popular scams and ways you can protect yourself as a consumer in 2017.
According to the BBB’s announcement of the Top 10 Scams of 2016, scammers took over 90 million from Canadians through a variety of creative and tricky methods. The top type of scam was the employment scam, with a total loss of $5.3 million reported.
Here are three of the 10 top scams of 2016 (in no particular order) and some tips to avoid them:
1. Online purchase scams
Tip: use third-party payment portals to avoid getting scammed by fake websites.
2. Identity fraud.
Tip: never carry your SIN number with you, keep it in a safe place at home.
3. Romance scams.
Tip: do not wire money to someone you have never met.
To find out more about all 10 scams, visit the BBB’s website.
According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, it is estimated that less than 5% of the total number of fraud victims report their experiences to law enforcement agencies. By reporting fraud, you provide law enforcement with the information they need to stop fraudsters and help prevent others from becoming victims. The information you provide is important! To report fraud, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
No. 6, Wire fraud, says “Create payment redundancies in your organization”. What are payment redundancies?
Hi Natasha, thank you for your question. Since these top 10 scams and tips to combat them were created by the BBB, I would direct questions regarding their content to them. Here is their email: contactus@mbc.bbb.org and their phone number: 1-888-803-1222. I hope they are able to clarify that term for you!