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Thursday, M arch 17, 2016 - The IFP - H alton H ills - w w w .theifp.ca Page 3 e-mail: hassellsauto@bellnet.ca www.hassellautomotive.com Spring is back, and so is our 11th Annual Super Spring SpecialFIRST GREA T WEEK ! - Oil & Filter and complete top to bottom check over (Excludes synthetic Oil) - Installation of summer tires (already on rims) included. - $5.00 Tim's Card - Windshield Washer Fluid EXTRAS Only $4995Call for anAppointment+HST NEWS Police boost awareness in March as Fraud Prevention Month Doug Armstrong is getting tired of attempts to separate him from his money. The Burlington resident says he and his wife, Lois, receive at least three automated phone calls per week from some entity claiming, in generic terms, the couple has significant credit card debt and that they can help them handle it. He just hangs up. The boiling point for the Arm- strongs, both in their 80s, came late last week. Armstrong says they received four recorded phone messages, each two hours apart, last Fri- day each stating, forcefully, that they owed the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for income tax ar- rears. Armstrong says that he knows they have no such financial trou- ble. "They were threatening," he said of the recorded messages. "It was the same person (voice) and it was definitely scripted with the same message." Armstrong said each call con- cluded with the threat that if they didn't call a provided phone number, to arrange for payment, a collection agent would show up at their home within 24 hours. A quick search online of the number the recorded message told them to call, which begins with an 844 area code, leads to sites that have messages from people who say they have had similar experiences to the Arm- strongs with supposed contact by the CRA about taxes owing. The CRA website has a warn- ing about "… an ongoing scam in which taxpayers across the coun- try receive phone calls or emails from individuals impersonating CRA employees. These people are scammers…." "I can see a lot of seniors like us being taken in by it," Armstrong said. Except they weren't. After the second automated call Armstrong picked up the phone himself and called Halton Regional Police. He says he talked to a civilian member of the service who listened to him and then sug- gested he call the RCMP. However, the next call Arm- strong said he made was to Burl- ington MPP Eleanor McMahon's office. Someone there told him to call the Ontario Provincial Police anti-fraud hotline. He did, but a long wait on the line prompted him to hang up. Armstrong knows what he'd like to do if a live caller ever tried to scam him. "The language I couldn't re- peat. I'd probably say a few choice words and then hang up." Det.-Sgt. Troy Izlakar, head of Halton police's Regional Fraud Unit, says he anticipates CRA scam attempts will increase as the tax season filing deadline of April 30 nears. • • • March is Fraud Prevention Month and Halton Regional Po- lice is using the occasion to en- courage residents to recognize, reject and report fraud. Fraud Prevention Month is a collective effort that brings to- gether 125 law enforcement agen- cies, public and private sector or- ganizations to combat the crime. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Competition Bu- reau of Canada are joining po- lice services across the country to promote public awareness to help prevent fraud, which thou- sands of Canadians fall victim to each year with losses in the mil- lions of dollars. "In Halton Region, we do ex- perience victimization of certain types of scams and frauds, partic- ularly to our senior population," said Izlakar. "In a community with an ag- ing population and a higher than average disposable income, it makes this area very attractive to fraudsters." "By phone and Internet is more popular (now)," rather than the traditional door-to-door utilities scammers, Izlakar said of trends in how fraudsters approach the public. Police are encouraging adult children of senior parents or rela- tives to take the time and know why, where and to whom their el- derly parents are sending money. "These fraudsters are very con- vincing and will confuse a senior into sending them a small fortune before their children can inter- vene," said Izlakar. "I cannot stress enough, never send funds by means of a wire transfer to anyone you're not fa- miliar with; anyone wanting you to send them money via wire transfer is a sure bet fraudster." Police said in the majority of cases, funds scammed from se- niors are sent by wire transfer to a Third World country, making it almost impossible to trace or re- cover. During the month of March, Halton police will be engag- ing with external organizations and be diligent on social media with the goal of increasing social awareness to a variety of frauds and scams that are currently widespread. "During my time in this unit, I have been witness to some pretty devastating financial fraud, pre- dominantly to seniors," said Izla- kar. "Day to day, people don't think about fraud until it happens to them or a family member and that really needs to change; hopefully this month we may grab the atten- tion of some people." Ontario Provincial Police is also promoting Fraud Prevention Month with a media campaign fo- cussing on five topics: • Emergency or Canada Rev- enue Agency (CRA) scams • Romance scam • Microsoft/computer scams • Phishing or Bank website scams • Lottery scams "Whether it is vulnerable citi- zens cheated out of their life sav- ings or young people stripped of their assets and forced to start over, the harm caused by all types of fraud is staggering. The money taken is used to fuel other illegal activities, causing further harm to society as a whole," OPP Com- missioner Vince Hawkes said in a press release. If you or someone you know suspect they've been a victim of fraud, contact your local police service, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Crime Stoppers at 1-800- 222-8477 (TIPS) or go online at https://www.tipsubmit.com/ start.htm. For more information on fraud prevention, visit www.competi- tionbureau.gc.ca or www.anti- fraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or www.bbb.org/scamtracker. -- with files from David Lea, Oakville Beaver By Tim Whitnell Metroland Media Group Halton Police have increased efforts to stop all forms of fraud in the commu- nity, starting with educating the public.