Noteworthy: Don’t be a sucker, end scams before they start

By Bruce Penton on October 9, 2024.

The hardest-working group of people in Canada – or wherever in the world they happen to be calling from – are the phone scammers. They say there’s a sucker born every minute and in Canada in 2023, there were 41,988 so-called suckers who were victimized by scammers – via phone or online – resulting in $569 million taken illegitimately out of Canadians’ bank accounts.

It’s worse in the U.S., of course, because they have approximately nine times the population, and judging by how polls suggest they plan to vote on Nov. 5, many of them aren’t very bright. So it’s easy picking for the scammers, who earned – no, stole – $10 billion last year from Americans.

Signs of a scam, as posted online by Government of Canada: The person on the phone, or in the email message, demands immediate payment. If they use threatening language, it’s a bad sign. If they offer to send you a link and ask you to click on it – don’t. If they seek personal or financial information, take a pass. If a request for payment is by cryptocurrency or gift cards, it’s almost certainly a scam.

Don’t ever give your credit card number to someone over the phone unless you were the one who initiated the phone call. The best advice – while not polite – is to simply hang up. If the call was legitimate, you’ll get a call back. Scammers rarely call someone back after a hangup. They have other fish to fry.

Last week, I received an email every other day purportedly from the Government of Canada saying it was e-transferring me some cash in the $2,600 range. I knew it wasn’t true because legitimate e-transfers automatically show up in my bank account.

What would have happened had I clicked on that message? No idea, because I simply hit delete, delete, delete until the e-transfer notices finally stopped. I presume the message would have sought my banking numbers and passwords in order for this money to be ‘deposited’.

An oldie but a goodie: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Always be suspicious. The scammers have no conscience and have no idea whether they’re trying to rip off a wealthy executive, a single mom with three kids or an elderly widow on a pension. To them, you’re merely a phone number or an email address and a potential victim.

The government asks that you report all scams or fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (toll free at 1-888-495-8501) even if you were not a victim. The local police should also be notified.

• There are only five homes included in this year’s BILD Parade of Homes and, as usual, they are spectacular. A great number of Hatters have toured the homes since the parade began Sept. 18, and if you haven’t yet gone for a viewing, don’t delay; the final day is this Saturday, from 1-5 p.m. Doors are also open Wednesday and Thursday this week from 6-8 p.m.

The homes are located at 47 Coulee Ridge Dr. (Brost Developments), 3617 10th Ave. SW in Coulee Ridge (the avenue by Coulee Ridge and DAAS Developers), 52 Dunes Way in Desert Blume (Wilde Homes), 124 Hamptons Crescent (Lacey Homes) and 102-29 Somerset Rd. (Newrock Developments).

By the way, BILD stands for Building Industry and Land Development of Medicine Hat. It recently changed its name from CHBA (Canadian Home Builders Association).

• It’s far too early to hit the panic button, but you’ve got to scroll down, down, down on the Western Hockey League standings to find the Medicine Hat Tigers. A shocking 1-4 record leaves Willie Desjardins’ crew in 11th place in the 11-team Eastern Division. Quite a stunner considering the pre-season hype about the talented Tigers, who were pegged as the No. 1 team in the entire 60-team Canadian Hockey League before the season began.

The Tigers have dealt with a few injuries and the absence of some key players, including first-round NHL draft pick Cayden Lindstrom, but the slow start, which includes two home-ice losses, is a shock.

The talent is definitely there for the Tigers to run off a long winning streak, and it could start this week with a home game tonight against Red Deer Rebels, who have already beaten the Tigers three times this year. It doesn’t get any easier however, as the 4-1 Brandon Wheat Kings pay a visit Friday, in the second of a five-game homestand.

• Enjoy your turkey this weekend but no, do not have a second piece of pumpkin pie.

Bruce Penton is a retired News editor who may be reached at brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca

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