More than 125 front-line fraud fighters including ABCs of Fraud volunteers, program sponsor Scotiabank, senior police officers, PhoneBusters, credit counselling services, and investment industry representatives, assembled in Ottawa Friday for the “I”s on Fraud conference, exploring ways to combat Identity theft, Internet fraud, and Investment scams.

According to PhoneBusters, the OPP’s national telephone fraud call centre, identity thieves stole a reported $8.6 million from Canadians in 2002. In the same year, 88% of phone-fraud victims were aged over 60.

“As the Internet and new technology play a greater role in our lives, criminals are developing new ways to defraud the public. And with seniors comprising the fastest growing group of Internet users, many of these new scams are aimed at them,” said Barbara Carter, National Director of the ABCs of Fraud Program. “This conference is an important opportunity to develop strategies to raise awareness of the issues and alert seniors to potential fraud. The more we know about consumer fraud, the better protected we are.”

Speakers at the two day conference, included OPP Det. Staff Sgt. Barry Elliott, founder of PhoneBusters; Sgt. Anda Pember, Ottawa Police Services, fraud investigator; Shannon Hurley, manager, policy branch of the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services; Frank Switzer, director, communications, Ontario Securities Commission; and, Dennis Jackson, district vice president, Scotiabank.

The Scotiabank Fraud Awareness Program: ABCs of Fraud is a Canada-wide fraud education, awareness and prevention program for seniors. It is delivered in clubs, churches, recreation facilities and at social gatherings by a network of more than 120 volunteer speakers over the age of 55. Since 1996, more than 1,400 presentations have been delivered to more than 57,000 people.