The Rising Threat of Fraud and Cybercrime

According to an online article published by the RCMP, in 2022 the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre received fraud/cybercrime reports totaling $530 million in victim losses. This is a staggering amount of money and could possibly be just the tip of of a very large iceberg as many fraud cases are never reported. People may feel ashamed or embarrassed that they ‘fell’ for a scam and are reluctant to report it to the authorities. Furthermore, the RCMP noted that technology has now made it much easier than ever before to commit widespread fraud on unsuspecting people. 

Vulnerability of Seniors to Scams

The unfortunate reality is that seniors are frequently targeted by scam artists for a variety of reasons; they are often home alone during the day and they may also be struggling with social isolation and loneliness. Scam artists take advantage of these vulnerabilities. Furthermore, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that older adults are more likely, “to have a ‘nest egg’, to own their home, and/or to have excellent credit—all of which make them attractive to con artists."

Modern Techniques Used by Scam Artists

Scam artists have also become more sophisticated over the years and are now using text messages, email, and social media to target people. They even have a new technique to get you to answer the telephone – Caller ID Spoofing. According to the CRTC (the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission of Canada) illegitimate telemarketers or scammers can, “change the information that appears on the Caller ID display to misrepresent themselves and to trick Canadians into answering the call.” Many of us have learned not to answer calls from 1-800 numbers or numbers that come up as ‘unknown’. Scam artists get around this by altering the phone number they are calling from, so it looks like a local call from a neighbor or nearby business. It may even show up on call display as your own telephone number! This is called mirroring and it’s very tempting to answer a call which seems to be coming from your own telephone number. These tactics are in violation of the Canadian Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules; telemarketers are required to accurately identify themselves.

How You Can Protect yourself Against Ageist Scams

So how can you protect yourself against scams? Awareness is your best defense against scams and the key to prevention. Here is a list of recommendations from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre:

Practice Caution 

Be very cautious when it comes to giving personal information over the phone or through text/email messaging. This is one of the most common scams perpetuated against older adults - soliciting and gaining personal information.  This includes banking information, passwords, health cards and especially your Social Insurance Number. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a call or a text, hang up and call the organization in question to verify the caller’s identity. Remember, legitimate telemarketers and businesses have nothing to hide so ask questions! It’s your right to know who you are talking to. Ask for a call back or reference number if you are unsure. The Anti-Fraud Center has a great slogan – Remember, you can Stop Phone Fraud – Just Hang up!

Look out For Anything That's "Too Good To Be True"

If something seems too good to be true – it probably is! If the telemarketer offers you something for free but then asks for your credit card, a red flag should go up immediately. Once again, hang up and call the organization to confirm that this is a legitimate request. The same thing goes for any online offers – scam artists use phishing techniques to hook you into clicking on a fake ad. If you click on the link, you’re redirected to a website that looks real but is actually a spoofed website made to look like a legitimate business. Before entering any personal information, do a quick google search to see there are any scams involving this particular website and call the company in question for verification.

Register Your Phone Number On The National Do Not Call List

This will help reduce the number of telemarketers who contact you. Registration is free. Find out more about the DNC list.

Report Scams Right Away! 

If you think you have been targeted by a scam artist, it’s extremely important that you report it. This is the best way to track scams and collect evidence. You can register a complaint with The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by visiting their website or calling toll free at 1-888-495-8501.

How We Keep Cyber Data Safe

At Victoria Lifeline, we occasionally hear from concerned customers that they have been being targeted by someone claiming to be a representative of Lifeline or a medical alert company. The scam artist then tells them their service will be cut off in 48 hours. In the interest of delivering greater peace of mind to those we serve, here is how you can recognize that you are dealing directly with Victoria Lifeline:

• We do not collect credit card information over the phone for service calls.

• We would never threaten to cancel our service if someone didn’t update their file or provide their credit card information in exchange.

• As a general rule, we do not call to advise of overdue accounts or expired credit card – we mail statements and or invoices notifying clients directly and request they call us to update their payment preferences.

• We never solicit older adults through the phone book or use telemarketing techniques to sell our service.

• We never share our subscribers’ personal information to third party vendors.

• We take our subscribers’ privacy seriously in accordance with our privacy policy, which you can read on our website at https://www.victorialifeline.ca/about-us/privacy-policy.

If you ever have any concerns about the legitimacy of a call you received regarding the Lifeline service, you can always push your button or call us to verify that someone from our office called.  We are always happy to hear from our clients!