Reminder: Fraud Prevention Month kicks off at Calgary Central Public Library
Reminder: Media Availability:
Media are invited to attend the Calgary Fraud Prevention Month launch event on Sunday, March 1, 2020, at 12:00 p.m. at the Central Public Library located at 800 3 Street S.E. The event will open with remarks from Superintendent Ryan Jepson of the Calgary Police Service and Mark Asberg, C.E.O. of the Central Public Library. The entire event runs until 5:00 p.m. There will not be a formal press conference, but media are welcome to interview the Superintendent and CEO, as well as various Fraud Prevention Month partners who will be in attendance.
Please note: Media who do not have visible media accreditation must visit the security desk at the library for a media pass.
Release:
For the first time, the Calgary Fraud Prevention Month kick off will take place at the Central Public Library downtown. This year marks the 16th national Fraud Prevention Month campaign, and the Calgary Police Service is teaming up with local and provincial law enforcement agencies and community partners to educate citizens about how to recognize, report and stop fraud.
In 2019, the Calgary Police Service received an estimated 5,500 reports of fraud including credit card fraud, identity theft, impersonation, forgery, defrauding a person and other fraudulent offences, compared to an estimated 5,600 of reported fraud 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.
Fraud Prevention Month in Alberta will highlight the following weekly topics:
- Week 1 (March 2 – 6): Cyber crime and online scams. Examples include phishing scams, online marketplace scams, employment scams, advance-fee loan scams, online ticket sale scams, romance scams, online identity theft and Wi-Fi hacking.
- Week 2 (March 9 – 13): Identity theft and fraud. Examples include phone and email scams where the goal is to steal someone’s identity or financial information and mail theft.
- Week 3 (March 16 – 20): Business frauds and scams. Examples include fake invoices/email scams, mortgage fraud, money laundering in real estate, fake charities, cheque and credit card fraud, door-to-door scams, contractor fraud, internal or employee theft.
- Week 4 (March 23 – 27): Mass marketing and phone scams. Examples include spoofed phone numbers, mass mail-outs or subscriptions and fraudulent telemarketers.
Fraud Prevention Month partners will be in attendance to answer fraud-related questions. Interactive displays, such as the BBB’s scam tracker, and the Electronic Recycling Association shredder, will also be on-site.
Calgary Fraud Prevention Month partners in attendance include:
- Calgary Police Service
- The Real Estate Council of Alberta
- Better Business Bureau
- The Competition Bureau
- The Bank of Canada
- The Canada Revenue Agency
- Service Alberta
- The Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association
- The Justice Studies department of Red Deer College
- The R.C.M.P.
- The Electronic Recycling Association
- Alberta Securities Commission
- Crime Stoppers
- Immigrant Services Calgary
- Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council
The Calgary Police Service would like to thank all participating Fraud Prevention Month partners for their continued efforts in helping to educate citizens about how to recognize, report and stop fraudulent activity. Anyone who has been a victim of fraud can report it to the Calgary Police Service by contacting the non-emergency number at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers using any of the following methods:
TALK: 1-800-222-8477