Scams

A longtime family friend of mine worked in the banking industry at the time when credit cards were being rolled out in Canada. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he would drive from town to town in rural Ontario to convince skeptical bank employees that it was possible to buy groceries with a 3″ […]

Romance scams are not quite a consumer issue. But they are a particularly heartless type of fraud. They prey on the kindness of people looking for love. Since it’s Valentine’s Day, we figured we would provide some tips. What is a romance scam? These days, typical romance scams begin online. They routinely involve a practice […]

If you think you are the victim of a fraud, contact your local police service immediately and report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (online or at 1‑888-495-8501). Phone scams are more sophisticated than ever. In 2018, CBC’s Marketplace exposed a large-scale call centre in India operating to bilk Canadians out of their money. […]

A number of people have complained about a Toronto-based weight-loss scheme. The company, Weight Loss Grants, promised consumers money if they lost weight. According to Global News, the scheme offered to reimburse consumers for certain weight-loss expenses if they successfully met their goal on a certain date. The company directed participants to weight-loss services offered […]

Canadians send over a million electronic money transfers – over $360 million – each day. But, as CBC News reports, e-transfers may not be as secure as you think. Anne Hoover discovered this the hard way. She sent more than $1,700 by e-transfer to a friend, only to find that it was lost in transit. […]