Police say stop and think what #Smart Money Says by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff 13 | Friday, June 12, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Halton police have launched a new social media campaign called #SmartMoneySays in an effort to educate residents about popular scams taking place in Halton. The latest fraud scams Officers have identified six recent fraud trends in the area including: · The Grandson Scam, where criminals call an elderly resident pretending to be their grandchild who has been involved in an emergency and needs money; · The CRA Scam, where fraudsters pretend to be from the Canada Revenue Agency and ask for personal information claiming they need it to process a tax refund; · The Romance Scam, where suspects establish a fake profile on a dating website and try to borrow money from the people who respond; · The Lottery Scam, where victims are contacted and told they have won a huge lottery, the money from which will be released to them after they pay some kind of fee; · The Immigration Scam, where the caller claims to be from Citizenship and Immigration Canada and claims a financial penalty must be paid because the victim's documents are not in order. The caller says arrest is imminent unless the fee is paid immediately; and · The Utility Scam, where criminals call pretending to be the local energy provider and claim the victim's account is delinquent. The caller goes on to threaten to shut the victim's power off unless payment is made immediately. Time to stop and think The #SmartMoneySays campaign is intended to get everyone to stop and think twice before falling victim to these frauds. The initiative includes a number of posters that will be shared through social media to provide education, awareness and fraud prevention ideas. These can be shared with family and friends to ensure no one parts with what is rightfully theirs. Residents can follow the #SmartMoneySays campaign on Twitter. More information on these scams, and how they are perpetrated, can be found at the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website at http://bit. ly/1JFRQFO. Anyone with information on this or any other crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or through the web at www. haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting "Tip201" with the message to 274637 (crimes). One of the posters from the Halton Regional Police Service's anti-fraud social media campaign, #SmartMoneySays. | courtesy Halton Regional Police Service What's Good...? It is the fusion of balanced nutrition, mind and body with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), food cures, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Acupuncture and Chiropractic. ...That's Wellness by Design DIAMOND DIAMOND GOLD Call us TODAY to schedule a FREE Wellness consultation and start THRIVING instead of just SURVIVING! Grab a nutritious breakfast or lunch at our What's Fresh Eatery. NOW OPEN! Katrina Dollano TCM Practitioner Charleston Dollano Dr. Ron McAlister Executive Chef Chiropractor 125 Cross Ave., Oakville · www.whatsgoodwellness.ca · 905.845.5775