March is Fraud Prevention Month
Réseau FADOQ announces the beginning of the 19th edition of Fraud Prevention Month, an education and awareness campaign aimed at helping Canadians detect, denounce and deter fraud.
What is fraud?
“Fraud is a criminal act by which a person, through trickery, lies or other means, obtains goods, services or money from another person” (Sûreté du Québec).
Since 2010, Réseau FADOQ has been taking concrete action to prevent fraud against seniors, notably through the Seniors Aware program, in partnership with the Sûreté du Québec and the CIUSS du Centre-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal. Through the presentation of short videos on key concepts regarding seniors fraud, the program’s information sessions aim to encourage discussion and reflection from a prevention perspective. Other sessions focus on abuse and intimidation. Material and financial abuse usually also involve elements of fraud and sometimes intimidation.
For more about the Seniors Aware program, consult the program’s website.
According to the Sûreté du Québec, two types of fraud in particular are currently targeting seniors: ” fake bank representative” fraud and “grandparent” fraud (also called “grandson” fraud). To learn more about these two types of fraud, visit the website of the Sûreté du Québec for information about this year’s Québec-wide campaign entitled ” Flairez l’arnaque (only in french)”
That said, there are many different types of fraud that can target anyone. The imagination and tricks of fraudsters have no limits. A guide produced by the Bank of Canada and several Canadian police forces contains a wealth of useful, accessible and up-to-date information. It is entitled Fraud in 3D. Detect, Denounce, Deter.
NEED HELP?
Sûreté du Québec
www.sq.gouv.qc.ca/en
310-4141 or *4141 (for cell phones)
To report a fraud or for more information:
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
1 888 495-8501
info@centreantifraude.ca