Protecting yourself against fraud and scams

According to the Government of Canada, fraud is the top crime against older adults. Even though fraud can target anyone, older individuals are targeted more frequently, and are vulnerable to scams because they may be more accessible, trusting, and may not have family or friends available to ask for a second opinion.

People who commit frauds and scams use a variety of tactics to target someone such as the Internet, texts, emails, phone calls and door-to-door visits. Common types of fraud and scams include identity theft, credit/debit card fraud, online scams, phone, and door-to-door scams.

Here are some simple actions you can take to protect yourself:

• Keep your personal documents in a safe place (don’t carry your birth certificate, passport, and/or SIN card)
• Protect your PIN and account passwords (cover your PIN when entering it in public and use strong online passwords)
• Don’t share your PIN and passwords with anyone (if you need to document your passwords, store them in a secure location)
• Shred any bills and banking statements
• Check your bank and credit card statements regularly for charges that look suspicious
• Don’t give your credit card number, bank account, or personal information to someone over the phone, at the door, or over the Internet unless you know the person or organization, or if you contacted them first
• When using social media sites, frequently check your privacy settings
• Be suspicious if you receive a phone call from a family member urgently looking for money to bail them out of a difficult situation
• Be cautious of someone you don’t know asking you to send them money or to return money you may have ‘accidentally’ sent them
• Before hiring a contractor to work on your home, ask for proof of identity and check references

Interested in learning more? Read Protecting Yourself from Online Fraud and Identity Theft.

Source: Canada.ca(opens in a new tab)