Covid-19 Provides an Opportunity for Fraudsters to Steal
Canadians are trusting, and that makes us easy to steal from, writes Peter Watson. Earlier this year the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police issued a joint warning about fraudulent investment opportunities related to the coronavirus. Both organizations had heard that some Ontario investors have been offered investment products or services […]
Cyber Attack Against the Federal Government Puts Canadians at Risk
Government computers at the Canada Revenue Agency and GCKey were hacked and individuals’ banking information was changed, and passwords stolen, writes Peter Watson. The Canada Revenue Agency computers were recently hacked. Those affected are now more vulnerable to have money stolen via the Internet. This cyberattack was also directed at GCKey which is an online […]
Scams and fraud are a real threat
Canadians need to re-think how we combat scams and other attempts of theft, writes Peter Watson Scams and frauds are part of everyday life. Policing is difficult because most cases are not reported. The Canadian Anti-Fraud website is a useful source of information. Protect yourself by anticipating fraud attempts will occur against you. As an […]
Protect Yourself Against Fraud
Canadians are being targeted and they should protect themselves, writes Peter Watson Have you been scammed yet? If not, it’s just a matter of time. Fraud attempts include CRA scams, request from a romantic partner, identity theft, and bogus investment schemes. Just under half of all Canadians have either been scammed or know someone that […]
Beware of phone and Internet scams
Criminals want to steal your money. You are more vulnerable than you think. Recently I have had several attempts by telephone and over the Internet in what I consider to be an attempt to steal from me. That is the motivation for writing this article and encouraging everyone to always be on guard and protect themselves. […]
Canadians less likely to trust sharing personal data
Canadians do not trust sharing their personal data. We are among the least trusting in the world. In my opinion, that is an excellent characteristic to have. Too many people are not diligent enough in protecting their personal data, which can often result in crimes committed against them. Call it “modern-day theft”. KPMG is a […]
Tips to protect yourself from cybercrime
Last week I covered Data Privacy Day, held annually on January 28. In summary, criminals want to steal your personal identity and use that information to steal your financial assets. Today, I’ll share some tips on how to prevent becoming a victim of cybercrime. The best way is to be proactive. Anticipate how a criminal […]
Growing old has financial risks
As people grow older we expect to see physical signs of aging. The other facet of aging is declining mental ability. This needs to be better understood, particularly as it applies to a person’s ability to manage their financial affairs. We all have to make financial decisions. Now more than ever, everyone needs to protect […]
RCMP outsources experts to fight white-collar financial crime
In a time of cutbacks and priority shifting, the RCMP is getting creative with solving capital market crimes, including stock-market abuse. By its own admission, the RCMP acknowledged that in the past years resources have been taken away from these white-collar financial crimes to focus on other areas such as terrorism and drug related offences. […]
Stay vigilant against evolving crime
You or somebody you know will have some assets stolen. It is not if, but when. We are all linked in the online and mobile worlds, and that poses significant risks. Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal is a good example of how private information, in reality, is not that private. Roughly 87 million people, including 622,000 […]
