• By Sarah Frank
PARRY SOUND – Carole Breault, a receptionist for a chiropractor’s office on Joseph St. in Parry Sound, spotted a fraud scam that came into the office by fax. At first glance, the Yellow Pages application form with the chiropractor’s name looked legitimate, asking to please fill in business information and return the form with the requested funds enclosed ($119 per month) to have the business listed in Canadian Yellow Pages. Looking closer, the company name reads “YellowPage”, and the company logo is upside down. This, as Breault realized, is one of the many types of cash-grabbing scams that businesses and individuals are faced with on a daily basis. “I called the company, Yellow Pages, and they were already aware this was going on,” said Breault. “They said the police had already been informed as well.” Contacting the company to make them aware of the scam is one of the best things you can do, said OPP Const. Charles Ostrom. March is Fraud Prevention month and the OPP and the Canadian Anit-fraud Center would like community members to be on their toes, and take every opportunity to learn how to recognize and report fraud scams immediately. Ostrom warns there are as many types of fraud as there are people out there committing it. “There’s a new scam probably every minute,” he said. “I wouldn’t pay any more heed to (the fake Yellow Page application) than I would to emails from Nigeria saying they are going to deposit $1 million into my bank account.” The RCMP’s commercial crime branch estimates fraud related offences are now thought to be a profitable as drug related offences, at between $10 and $30 billion annually in Canada, the Anti-Fraud Centre reports. The centre identifies the top three types of scams as service, prize and emergency. Service scams, including misleading promotion or solicitation of service, internet, medical, or insurance rates, and usually involve a third party making you offers. During the “Prize Pitch” as the Anti-Fraud Centre has dubbed it, the victim is typically told they have won a prize and must pay a fee upfront to receive it. The emergency scam, sometimes known as the “grandparent scam” typically consists of a telephone call where the con artist says, “Do you know who this is?” The victim will reply with a name, “John?” To which the con artist replies, “Yes, I need help,” and requests money sent immediately for an emergency situation. To learn more about how to recognize fraud, or to report a fraud, visit www.antifraudcentre.ca or call 1-888-495-8501. PARRY SOUND – Carole Breault, a receptionist for a chiropractor’s office on Joseph St. in Parry Sound, spotted a fraud scam that came into the office by fax. At first glance, the Yellow Pages application form with the chiropractor’s name looked legitimate, asking to please fill in business information and return the form with the requested funds enclosed ($119 per month) to have the business listed in Canadian Yellow Pages. Looking closer, the company name reads “YellowPage”, and the company logo is upside down. This, as Breault realized, is one of the many types of cash-grabbing scams that businesses and individuals are faced with on a daily basis. “I called the company, Yellow Pages, and they were already aware this was going on,” said Breault. “They said the police had already been informed as well.” Contacting the company to make them aware of the scam is one of the best things you can do, said OPP Const. Charles Ostrom. March is Fraud Prevention month and the OPP and the Canadian Anit-fraud Center would like community members to be on their toes, and take every opportunity to learn how to recognize and report fraud scams immediately. Ostrom warns there are as many types of fraud as there are people out there committing it. “There’s a new scam probably every minute,” he said. “I wouldn’t pay any more heed to (the fake Yellow Page application) than I would to emails from Nigeria saying they are going to deposit $1 million into my bank account.” The RCMP’s commercial crime branch estimates fraud related offences are now thought to be a profitable as drug related offences, at between $10 and $30 billion annually in Canada, the Anti-Fraud Centre reports. The centre identifies the top three types of scams as service, prize and emergency. Service scams, including misleading promotion or solicitation of service, internet, medical, or insurance rates, and usually involve a third party making you offers. During the “Prize Pitch” as the Anti-Fraud Centre has dubbed it, the victim is typically told they have won a prize and must pay a fee upfront to receive it. The emergency scam, sometimes known as the “grandparent scam” typically consists of a telephone call where the con artist says, “Do you know who this is?” The victim will reply with a name, “John?” To which the con artist replies, “Yes, I need help,” and requests money sent immediately for an emergency situation. To learn more about how to recognize fraud, or to report a fraud, visit www.antifraudcentre.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.
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