See also —
Backgrounder:
Fighting Fraudulent Mass Marketing
Ottawa, May 23, 2006 — Efforts by Canadian law enforcement personnel to crack down on fraudulent mass marketing have resulted in 372 charges laid and 96 arrests in cities across Canada since Jan 1, 2005, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced today.
The announcement came as law enforcement agencies from across Canada and the United States and from other countries concluded Operation Global Con, a huge joint-forces operation aimed at bringing illicit mass marketers to justice. In total, more than 565 people were arrested.
“Police are concerned about these scam artists and are working together at home and abroad, as well as with other federal, provincial, territorial, municipal agencies and the private sector to counter this type of crime,” said Chief Superintendent Wayne Watson, Director of the RCMP’s Commercial Crime Branch. “Economic integrity is one of the RCMP’s strategic priorities for 2006-2007.”
“It’s important for the public to keep in mind that fraudulent mass marketing scams are far from victimless, in fact the criminals operating them by telephone, on the Internet, or through other mediums are often deliberately targeting specific groups such as the elderly and those who can least afford to have their savings stolen from them.”
“Mass-marketing fraudsters think they can use modern technology to operate from anywhere in the world with impunity,” said U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. “The virtual task forces that we have built with Canada, Costa Rica and the Netherlands provide a new model for us to bring these international con artists to justice.”
Operation Global Con is the successor to a 2004 operation to counter fraudulent telemarketing called Operation Roaming Charge. Operation Global Con tracked more enforcement statistics than its predecessor. On the Canadian side of the border, this included statistics from more of the Toronto area and from the Atlantic region, making the Canadian part of the operation truly national in scope.
Canadian efforts concentrated in and around Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver have already resulted in 19 convictions, including 13 guilty pleas. Aside from shutting down criminal mass marketing rings, Operation Global Con has also led to better cross-border sharing of statistics and improved linkages between American and Canadian enforcement efforts.
American involvement in Operation Global Con was spearheaded by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Law enforcement agencies from other countries, including Costa Rica and the Netherlands , also participated.
Canadian participants included the Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto Police Service, Sûreté du Québec, Service de police de la Ville de Montréal, Vancouver Police Department, Calgary Police Service, Edmonton Police Service, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, Halifax Regional Police York Regional Police, Cape Breton Municipal Police, Saint John Police Force, Charlottetown City Police, other municipal police forces, RCMP Commercial Crime Sections in the areas mentioned, the Competition Bureau, the Province of British Columbia, the Ontario Ministry of Government Services, Alberta Ministry of Government Services, and equivalent provincial agencies in Atlantic Canada.
Commercial Crime Sections are part of the RCMP’s Financial Crime sub-directorate and fall under Federal and International Operations Directorate.
Those who know of or believe they’ve been the victim of fraud is asked to call the PhoneBusters National Call Centre at 1-888-495-8501 and report the crime to their local police of jurisdiction. They may also file a report online at www.recol.ca
The RCMP works to ensure the safety and security of Canadians and their institutions, both domestically and globally.
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For more information, please contact:
RCMP Media Relations
(613) 993-2999
U.S. Department of Justice Public Affairs
(202) 514-2008
Backgrounder: Fighting Fraudulent Mass Marketing
Ottawa, May 23, 2006 — Operation Global Con, which concluded today with 372 charges laid in Canada, is just one way the RCMP and its law enforcement partners are helping Canada hang up on fraudulent mass marketers.
Other economic integrity initiatives aimed at combating illicit mass marketing and related crimes that victimize consumers include:
PhoneBusters National Call Centre
PhoneBusters is a national anti-fraud call centre operated in partnership by the RCMP, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Competition Bureau.
PhoneBusters has a dual role of educating the public about specific fraudulent mass-marketing pitches and collecting and disseminating evidence, statistics, documentation and tape recordings for law enforcement agencies. This second role makes PhoneBusters the central repository and clearinghouse in Canada for information on all manner of fraudulent mass marketing, advanced fee fraud letters (West African letters) and identity theft complaints .
Those who may have been the victims of such crimes are encouraged to call the Phonebusters National Call Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
RECOL
RECOL, Reporting Economic Crime On-Line, www.recol.ca, is a Web site designed to allow the reporting of economic, or white collar, crimes over the Internet to multiple agencies. Officially launched in October 2003, RECOL is groundbreaking in that it allows complainants to rapidly distribute reports to organizations with a legitimate interest in combating economic crime. Reports reach those that need them while the crimes are still fresh, increasing the likelihood that those responsible will be caught.
RECOL has the ability to distribute reports to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the OPP, and the U.S. Internet Crime Complaint Center.
If you would like to report an economic crime, please visit www.recol.ca.
Fraud: Recognize it. Report it. Stop it. Campaign
This successful information campaign partners the Competition Bureau and police forces across Canada with the private sector, and consumer groups.
RCMP divisions across the country have helped to circulate the distinctive red and black information materials developed for this campaign. Materials have also been posted on the Web site of the PhoneBusters National Call Centre and are designed to help consumers recognize, report and stop fraud.
U.K. outreach
Unfortunately telemarketers based on this side of the Atlantic do not only target North American consumers, but sometimes victimize consumers based in Britain .
As a result, the RCMP, the Toronto Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police, the Vancouver Police Department, the Competition Bureau, and PhoneBusters cooperate extensively with British agencies like the Office of Fair Trade, especially in relation to prize-scam frauds (in which victims are convinced to send money to pay “taxes” or other “fees” on fictional lottery proceeds). There has been especially good cooperation between the Toronto Partnership, RCMP Project Emptor, the Vancouver Strategic Alliance, and the PhoneBusters National Call Centre partnership and U.K. authorities.
What consumers can do...
Of course, a well-educated public is still the best protection against fraudulent mass marketers. If North Americans refuse to buy in to the voice on the phone promising instant wealth for minimum effort, the continent will become a much less welcoming spot for these offenders to set up shop.
Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Here are some tips consumers can use to avoid becoming a fraudulent mass marketer’s next victim:
DO NOT believe that everyone calling with an exciting promotion or investment opportunity is trustworthy, especially if you do not know the caller or their company.
DO NOT invest or purchase a product or service without carefully checking it out.
DO NOT be afraid to request further documentation from the caller so you can verify the validity of the company.
DO NOT be fooled by the promise of a valuable prize in return for a low-cost purchase.
DO NOT be pressured to send money to take advantage of a “special offer” or “deal.”
DO NOT be hurried into sending money to claim a prize that is available for only a “few hours.”
DO NOT disclose information about your finances, bank accounts or credit cards (not even the credit card expiry date).
DO NOT be afraid to simply hang up.
DO contact the Phonebusters National Call Centre at 1-888-495-8501 and visit RECOL at www.recol.ca if you are contacted by someone who promises you great prizes, but requires you to send money in advance for shipping, handling, taxes, etc., or requires you to purchase a product to qualify.
RCMP Financial Crime
The RCMP’s Financial Crime subdirectorate forms part of Federal and International Operations Directorate. The RCMP works to ensure the safety and security of Canadians and their institutions, both domestically and globally.
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For more information, please contact:
RCMP Media Relations
(613) 993-2999
