Being the target or victim of a scam is nothing to be ashamed of, and the faster you can get the word out, the more victims you could potentially save.
According to the RCMP, more than 11,000 Albertans were the victim of a fraud scheme in 2018. Financial Planner Kris Podolski says you don’t need to feel shame if it happens to you, and if you hide it, it could make things worse down the line.
“The longer people keep it to themselves the longer the fraudsters will get away with it. There are a lot of ways we can report these things where you don’t have to turn over your personal information.”
Podolski says much like the Alberta economy itself, the number of fraud cases in the Peace Country seems to be an ebb and flow. But, it’s during a downturn when people are most susceptible.
“If things slow down and people are feeling a bit of a pinch they might be looking for easier options.”
The best approach, as always, according to Podolski is if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.