Frauds and scams tend to rise around the holidays, when busy consumers are distracted or rushed. (Wellesley Consulting Services file photo)
Every holiday season a number of scams make an appearance in an effort to deprive the unsuspecting of their money and purchases. This year is no different. Here follows a quick survey of some recent well-known scams this holiday season. Continue reading
Firearms ownership is more popular in Yukon and Newfoundland according to RCMP statistics. (RCMP Facts and Figures September 2011)
The number of licenced gun owners in Canada increased by over 50,000 individuals, or 3%, in one year according to RCMP statistics released in September 2011.
The stats showed that at the end of Septem there were 1,886,057 holders of valid firearms licences across Canada, including possession only, possession and acquisition, and minor types of licences.
Over half of those licence holders reside in Ontario and Quebec, which combine for about 1 million gun licences.
Despite the large numbers of licences in Canada’s largest provinces, the terrirory of Yukon and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador were by far the most licenced populations per 100,000 people. About one-fifth of Yukon residents hold a valid licence, and nearly 15% of Newfoundlanders are licenced Ontario was the province where the least number of population hold a firearms licence, at just 4% of residents.
The numbers also showed over 7.8 million registered firearms in Canada, about a quarter in Ontario. Non-restricted rifles and shotguns remained the majority.
The number of registered prohibited firearms declined year over year from 202,056 to 200,285. These represent mainly handguns with a barrel length of 105mm or less or that are .32 or .25 calibre, which were added to the prohibited category in the late 1990s. At that time only those licenced owners who already owned one could be grandfathered to continue to own them. Firearms are normally deregistered when they are destroyed or deactivated according to RCMP guidelines.
For more information about firearms ownership and registration in Canada, see the RCMP Facts and Figures for September 2011, http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/facts-faits/archives/quick_facts/2011/se-eng.htm.
Unwary consumers in Vancouver may find themselves in legal hot water - police are warning of Stanley Cup ticket scammers, including those selling counterfeit tickets. File photo: Wellesley Consulting Services, 2011.
Police in the Greater Vancouver Area are warning the public about Stanley Cup ticket frauds, according to a Canadian Press report today.
As with U.S. Super Bowls, baseball World Series and other major sporting events, scammers are taking advantage of high ticket prices and high public demand and taking unsuspecting people for large sums of money.
Newspaper and web classified ads have scores of listings for Stanley Cup game 1 Vancouver Canucks-Boston Bruins tickets for an average of $1,100-$1,500, depending on the seating location. But RCMP are warning the public after one man sent a wire payment of nearly $4,000 and received nothing in return.
Another common scam at major sporting events is ticket counterfeiting. The fake tickets may look similar to the real thing, even reproducing security holograms and other printing techniques. However, when the buyer attempts to use the tickets, they find they are not genuine. They are out the money used to buy the tickets, and they will be turned away at the gates come game day.
Canadian government bodies, law enforcement agencies, and industry organizations are hosting a first-ever fraud conference in Ottawa from March 7-8, 2011, according to a Government of Canada website.
The Competition Bureau website highlights toolkits and other resources for “Fraud Prevention Month” which occurs in March each year. This year, they are also involved the planning of the inaugural fraud conference, which will run over two days next week at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier.
The two-day schedule is heavily geared towards digital-age fraud issues, such as phishing and spoofing, spamming, and web 2.0 privacy and identity theft. Speakers include OPP and RCMP officers, as well as representatives from the Canadian Bankers Association, Competition Bureau, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Industry Canada, TransUnion, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other public and private bodies.
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the world’s premiere fraud prevention and professional accreditation body, also holds frequent annual fraud awareness conferences, across the U.S., Canada, and around the world. The ACFE’s 22nd annual conference is scheduled for June in San Diego, Calif., and the Canadian ACFE conference will be held in Toronto in November.
The Globe and Mail reports that the RCMP have recently re-classified the Chinese-made Norinco Type 97 rifle as a prohibited firearm, jeopardizing its ownership by a handful of the rifle’s owners who purchased it when it was considered a restricted firearm.
According to the report, the decision came after the RCMP determined the rifle, which is manufactured as a semi-automatic, could be easily converted to a full automatic. The RCMP is now asking owners of those firearms to surrender them.
The firearms originally had been imported by Lever Arms Service Ltd in Vancouver, BC, and an early shipment had been classified as restricted due to barrel length. However, a subsequent shipment of rifles that had longer barrels, in order to have them classified as non-restricted, was referred to RCMP firearms experts who apparently were able to convert them to full automatic, and determined they were prohibited.
The Type 97 rifle is a civilian sporting version of the Chinese army QBZ-97 rifle chambered in .223 Remington. It has a “bull-pup” configuration, meaning the magazine is to the rear of the trigger and action.
Although the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) has the responsibility for deciding on litigation involving matters of imported goods classification, certain types of items, including weapons and firearms, require expert classification.
The RCMP website does not list the Norinco Type 97 as a prohibited firearm.
The National Firearms Association, a firearms owner lobby group, said on their website in April this year that the RCMP decision to reclassify the Norinco rifle is an “arbitrary” action that is a “deliberate attempt to circumvent the parliamentary process” because firearms are normally re-classified either by an Act of Parliament, or by an government Order-in-Council.
The NFA also argues that most firearms could conceivably be converted to full automatic with the adequate training and tools. It is an offence under the Criminal Code to convert a firearm to full automatic.
The government is offering $1,400 compensation to Type 97 rifle owners who turn in their firearms to the RCMP.
The NFA is advising Type 97 owners to initiate hearing in court to determine the legality of the RCMP’s demand.
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