March 1, 2013 – March is Fraud Prevention Month, and the Competition Bureau of Canada announced it is participating in a variety of initiatives aimed at helping Canadians protect themselves against fraud.

“Consumers must be able to participate in today’s economy with confidence,” said John Pecman, interim commissioner of competition. “Consumers and businesses have an important role to play in stopping fraud, by arming themselves with the facts and reporting fraud when they encounter it.”

The Competition Bureau chairs the Fraud Prevention Forum, which includes more than 125 private sector firms, consumer and volunteer groups, government agencies and law enforcement organizations that have banded together to help combat fraud and raise awareness. During Fraud Prevention Month, forum members will participate in a number of activities across the country designed to raise awareness among consumers and businesses about the dangers of fraud.

One of the tools the bureau has developed for educating consumers and businesses about fraud, and how to report it, is the Canadian Edition of the Little Black Book of Scams (which you can DOWNLOAD BELOW).

Also, the Competition Bureau will be announcing its Top 2 “2 Good 2 B True” Scams, as part of the first “2 Good 2 B True Day” on March 12. On this day, social media users are encouraged to talk about scams using the hashtags #2Good2BTrue and #FPM2013.

To report instances of fraud, Canadian consumers and businesses can CLICK HERE for the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.