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03/22/2013
Cell phone users are increasingly turning to Bluetooth technology to talk - hands free - on their phones. But as this high tech tool gains popularity in the US and Canada, scammers are finding ways to exploit it.
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03/08/2013
A new phishing scam is making the rounds disguised as a consumer complaint notification from the FTC. If you receive it, just hit "delete."
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02/12/2013
Scammers have been making phone calls posing as representatives of the National Do Not Call Registry. The calls claim to provide an opportunity to sign up for the registry or ask consumers to verify their info. Of course, the callers are really trying to solicit personal information, which opens victims up to identity fraud.
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07/31/2012
BBB joined Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy as another established brand used to promote fake gift cards. Don’t bother trying to redeem this offer. It’s just a trick to get your email address, cell number and other personal information.
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07/31/2012
A new scam using the BBB name popped up this morning, and has been received by consumers and businesses across the U.S. and Canada…including many BBB offices!
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06/15/2012
Heads up, Facebook users! Facebook never intends to create a way for a user to see who has viewed their profile. If an application claims to do so, do not trust it.
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03/22/2012
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) recommends that donors understand where their money is going before contributing to a children’s charity.
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12/22/2010
BBB of Central and Northern Alberta has heard from businesses that received phone calls saying “I’m calling from BBB. Can you give me the map coordinates, for your business?”
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06/23/2008
The 1-(900) line scam is a variation on the ages-old prize scheme. The consumer is encouraged, usually through an offer in the mail, to call a 1-(900) number in order to find out what prize he or she has won. The implication is that you have won a large prize - cash, cars, boats, etc. and your brief phone call will confirm which prize is yours.
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06/23/2008
The following message provides general information on cults. The information was obtained from a paper entitled "Marketing or Commercial Cults" written by Corporal F. Reed Leary, of Edmonton Integrated Intelligence, the Canadian contact on this subject.
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06/23/2008
Con artists, short for confidence artists, are unscrupulous individuals who persuade people to believe in them and then convince those people to give them money for a "sure thing" investment. Most successful con artists look like regular business people and are usually smooth, well-spoken and charming.
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06/23/2008
Chain letters, regardless of their purpose, ie: whether to produce money for the person who sends them or to bring good luck, are illegal in Canada in any form. When there is no exchange of a tangible product or service but the participants are expected to send money, it is known as a pyramid scheme, which is a direct violation of the Competition Act. In addition, chain letters give the recipient the false impression that they will be receiving money or good luck and health.
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06/02/2008
The typical pattern of the scheme is that the consumer or applicant receives information either by wa y of a classified ad in the newspaper or from a flyer through the mail offering them huge earnings with no experience necessary by working out of their homes.
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06/02/2008
exchange for the investment. Also, like a pyramid, early "investors" will usually receive funds as a result of the later "investors" cash. ALL Pyramid Schemes are illegal. The swindles are often disguised as transactions in new and poorly understood investment instruments. They usually do not involve an actual sale of products or services.
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06/02/2008
Pyramid schemes are frauds that are based on recruiting an ever decreasing number of investors. The initial promotors (those at the peak of the pyramid) recruit investors who are expected to bring in more investors and who may or may not sell products or distributorships. Recruiting newcomers is more important than selling products.
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