Scams to Avoid

Scams to Avoid from People's Law School helps you learn how to spot and guard against scams that try to trick you out of your money. It covers 15 of the most common scams that affect British Columbians, explains the growing problem of identity theft, and tells you the steps to take if you have been the victim of a scam.

Cover of Scams to Avoid

Contents

• Introduction

• Charity and Sales Scams
  • Charity scams · Free trial scams · Door-to-door scams · Preventing problems

• Loan and Credit Scams
  • Loan scams · Credit repair scams · Preventing problems

• Online and Computer Scams
  • Malware or spyware · Phishing emails · Money transfer scams · Antivirus software scams · Mobile phone scams · Preventing problems

• Prize and Contest Scams
  • Fake lottery scams · Text message trivia scams · Preventing problems

• Romance and Relationship Scams
  • Romance scams · Relative scams · Preventing problems

• Work Scams
  • Work at home, make huge profits · Preventing problems

• Identity Theft
  • What is identity theft? · How do they get the information? · Warning signs · Consequences of identity theft · Preventing problems

• If You've Been Scammed
  • Step 1. Stop communication · Step 2. Gather information · Step 3. Notify financial institutions · Step 4. Cancel missing identification · Step 5. Contact Canada Post · Step 6. Protect your devices · Step 7. Notify police · Step 8. Contact credit reporting agencies · Step 9. Notify consumer agencies · Step 10. Consider legal action · Get help

• Resources
  • Where to Get Help · Glossary

About

Copyright

Scams to Avoid © People’s Law School is, except for the images, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.

Disclaimer

At People's Law School, we believe accurate, plain English information can help people take action to work out their legal problems. This resource explains in a general way the law that applies in British Columbia. It is not intended as legal advice. For help with a specific legal problem, contact a legal professional. Some sources of legal help are highlighted in the "Where to Get Help" section.

About People's Law School

People's Law School is a non-profit society in British Columbia providing free education and information on the legal problems of daily life. See more titles from People's Law School.

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