GUEST SPEAKER: Detective Martin Franssen – Durham Regional Police Service – Fraud Division
By means of a video, Martin was going to introduce himself. We are sorry that the projector could not pick that up. For those of you who have Facebook, please take a look.
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialDRPS/videos/177802060175974/?t=7
Martin is a member of the Rotary Club of Oshawa and a 20-year Detective with DRPS. In 2019, he was the recipient of the Public Heroes Award from the Intercultural Dialogue Institute and at the 2019 PADAN Awards Night, he was again recognized by the DRPS when he received the Mike Ewles Community Builder Award for his outstanding and selfless work with major Crime Fraud Unit to support seniors.
He does over 50 forums and workshops every year, many in his own time (like ours tonight) to help educate people about fraud prevention. He is back with us on May 26 to talk to us about wills and powers of attorney.
He was an officer in Jordan and Afghanistan training police officers. At any one time , there are over 100 Canadian poilice officers training abroad.
What is fraud?
A false representation of a matter of fact -whether by words or by conduct, by false or misleading allegations, or by concealment of what should have been disclosed - that deceives and is intended to deceive another so that the individual will act upon it. (Source: https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/fraud). Fraudsters are real. They spend their day developing new schemes to separate you from your hard-earned money and they are good at what they do. They can target you in person, through the mail, through telephone contact and/or through the internet.
Thousands of Canadians fall victim to fraud each year with losses in the millions of dollars. The impact is felt by individuals, families, businesses and society as a whole. The best way to fight against fraud is by having the knowledge to recognize it before you part with your money or property. Here are some common scams broken down by category, you can also check the Federal Government's Little Black Book of Frauds - Second Edition here.
Lots more info here at these links:
General Public
Seniors
Students
Businesses
Credit Checks
Power of Attorney Information
Community Fraud Prevention, Power of Attorney and Last Will and Testament Seminars
The victims of fraud, in seniors is financial, physical, emotional, and within 5 years, many die due to being victims of fraud. We need to protect ourselves.
Here are just some of the schemes: lottery, romance, emergency, distraction, shoulder surfing, CRA, counterfeit currency, hacking, internet, credit card, housing, mortgage, ponzi, pyramid, Bluetooth on cell phones.
He said that less than 5 % of the fraud incidents are ever reported.
He cautioned everyone to disconnect their Bluetooth devices as soon as they get out of their car. When trading in a car or a rental when you are on vacation, be sure to erase the Bluetooth from the car. Bluetooth connects everything. Your whole life is on your cell phone, no matter what your age happens to be.
Phones are hijacked and ported (to another carrier). Your name and your phone. This is called Blue Snarfing.
Martin also talked at length about counterfeit currency , even with our newest currency. Counterfeiters replace the clear polymer with plastic and go from there. Dd you know that you cannot photocopy currency. It is illegal. The photocopier simply will not let this happen.
He also talked about the phone calls from grandchildren (the grandchildren / emergency scam) . Send money. I am in an accident , in hospital or in prison and don’t tell anyone. When we were kids , we had passwords or safe words with our parents or children. It’s okay to use them again. Be safe.
Even if you are breathing into a phone when you get a call from an unknown location, is enough to track you. Don’t even answer the calls.
Protect Yourself on the Internet:
1. Be very cautious with what you post on the Internet. Remember once it is out there, once the information is posted, it is out there.
2. When using a social media platform ensure you utilize the various privacy and security features/settings offered. Privatize your account.
3. Get in the habit of reading messages out loud. Read the message as written; do not read what you think is there. Now listen to the message.
4. If you receive a request for money personally reach out to that �friend�, not through the social media platform, to confirm.
5. Always remember, if it sounds to good to be true, IT IS!
Other phishing attempts are being received as email correspondence reporting to be someone listed in your Facebook contact list. It may be someone you frequently deal with or seldom deal with.
How you should handle it:
1. Ask yourself, "Why someone to whom I seldom correspond or communicate with is contacting me now?"
2. Read the correspondence out loud as it is written. Ask yourself: Does it make sense, are they really typos?
3. It may be the other person's (i.e. the sender's) account that has been compromised or it may be yours. Consider closing that account and creating a new account from the ground up. If you do, don't just copy from the old to new. Create the account from the scratch using a totally different account name then completely delete your previous account.
4. Whatever you do, DO NOT send out correspondence through your old account advising your contacts of the new account. Send your contacts a notification through the new account.
5. Protect yourself and use the various security features offered through Facebook.
6. Do not send personal information through any Email or social medium platform.
7. Remember, "If it's too good to be true, it is."
Counterfeit Currency Information
It is illegal to possess counterfeit currency. If you suspect you are in possession of a counterfeit bank note please attend any financial institute or police station and ask for an opinion. If there is a concern the financial institute will forward the note to DRPS as "suspected counterfeit." The note will eventually be sent to the RCMP for determination as to legitimacy. If the note is found to be counterfeit you will unfortunately be out the value of the note. If it's found to be genuine, efforts will be made to return the note to you. DO NOT try to pass any suspected counterfeit currency. You could be charged under the Criminal Code.
Please find attached a DRPS presentation about Canadian Currency and ways to identify counterfeit currency. Feel free to use this as a learning tool for yourself or educational tool for your community group. Click on Canadian Money - A New Direction
What is "Bluesnarfing"
Bluesnarfing is the theft of information from a wireless device i.e. a cellular telephone, laptop, PFA, etc. through the intercepting of the Bluetooth signal sent out by that device.
Protect Yourself
-Turn off the Bluetooth on your device (laptop, cellular telephone, etc.) when not in use (this will also save battery life)
-Do not publish your date of birth on social media.
-Do not answer phishing emails or text messages looking for you to confirm your password or update your account information.
-Do not save passwords to your device. Use an offline password manager.
-Contact your phone provider and ask about additional security measures that may be available.
-If you lose mobile service on your device, contact your service provider immediately.
-If you have a motor vehicle that you connect your mobile device to through Bluetooth remember to delete the data before selling the vehicle or returning the rental vehicle.
Grandparent/Emergency Scam
Emergency scams generally target grandparents and play upon their emotions to rob them of their money. Typically, the scammer will call the grandparent and claim to be one of his or her grandchildren and in need of money. Find out more about the Grandparent/Emergency Scam here.
*Always be aware of your surroundings. Be mindful of anyone loitering or acting suspiciously
*Carry only the items you need with you. Leave large purses at home
*Avoid putting your purse in the grocery cart. Thieves only need a few seconds to steal your wallet
*Shop in a group. You are less likely to be targeted when shopping in a group
*Keep your purse or wallet with you at all times.
Investigators ask members of the community to be mindful of their surroundings at all times and always protect their PIN numbers when completing transactions. Fraudsters can be persuasive and if someone appears suspicious don't engage them in conversation. If you have been the victim of a distraction theft or have any information regarding fraudulent activity, please contact police at 1-888-579-1520. Anonymous tips can be made to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222 TIPS (8477) and tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.
Martin will be speaking at several locations in Durham Region about fraud. Be sure to go to: https://members.drps.ca/internet_explorer/our_organization/unit.asp?Scope=Unit&ID=17 for a listof dates and locations
Martin was thanked by Myles Fisher
Meeting Adjourned
IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT, MAKE UP: Go online at www.rotary.org go to the club locator and find a club or clubs near your destination. Or you can add the free App Rotary Club Locator to your phone for instant look up of any club in the world. Please mail or fax your make-ups to Secretary Robbie Larocque, or give your make-up card to the attendance/registration officer at the next club meeting.