Prince George, B.C. – Seems there is never any shortage of crooks out there who will try to make a buck, or a whole lot of bucks, through illegal endeavors.

An example right here at home occurred earlier this week when people got a phone call telling them they’d won a gift card at a local mall, and all they had to do was turn over personal information. It was just another in a long line of scams that prey on unsuspecting victims.  Very timely, then, that the Prince George RCMP Community Policing unit is hosting a workshop on Scams, Fraud and Counterfeit Currency.  This free workshop is offered to all residents and business owners/managers in Prince George and will be held this Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 8pm in room 208 at the Civic Centre.

Sabrina Cordeiro, Senior Analyst with the Bank of Canada will provide training on how to use security features on currency so you can protect yourself and your business from the perils of counterfeit money.  As well, Constable Stephen Dunn, RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime, will be talking about popular frauds and scams, including identity and debit/credit card theft.

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Canadians reported losing over $11 million dollars to identity fraud and identity theft in 2013.  It is estimated that the total number of dollar loss represents less than 5% of the total number of actual victims.

To register for this free workshop email lparker@city.pg.bc.ca or call (250) 561-3366.