Partners Against Consumer Telefraud, or PACT, is working to reduce telefraud and increase consumer confidence in legitimate telemarketing business. Telefraud involves using the phone to obtain payment for a non-existent or misrepresented product, service or charitable gift. It is using the phone to obtain private financial information or credit card numbers, or it is offering a prize for which you must pay. To put it simply, telefraud techniques vary but all involve using the telephone and dishonest means to obtain your money. Most telephone sales calls are from honest businesses and charities, but there are some telemarketers who set out to defraud Nova Scotians.
Consumers can protect themselves from being scammed.
If the offer you re being told about is too good to be true, chances are it is. The caller tells you that you must pay or you can t play. First the caller will tell you that you ve won a fabulous prize, but in order to receive it you must send money to cover the costs of shipping, handling, processing and taxes. Be wary of callers who ask for your financial information over the phone. Honest businesses only require this information if you are using a specific method of payment.