Barriere and Clearwater both have a large senior population as do many rural communities throughout B.C. and both have seniors’ societies (as do other areas) which are actively involved in hosting luncheons and guest speakers cautioning the public about potential frauds, scams and online threats.
These potential risks not only impact seniors, but anyone who uses social media, online banking or uses email as a from of personal communication. These services can be very useful and often make life easier with an individual being able to do their banking without leaving home, coordinate communications in a paperless and more efficient way and at the very least offer a way to be a bit less lonely if living alone or living far away from family and friends, or even to find new connections and services when first moving to an unfamiliar place.
Even though March was fraud prevention month, anytime is a good time to become safer, more knowledgeable and less vulnerable according to the Office of the Seniors Advocate of British Columbia.
The B.C. Seniors Advocate website offers information about their services which reads in part: “The Office of the Seniors Advocate monitors and analyzes seniors’ services and issues in B.C. and makes recommendations to government and service providers to address systemic issues. The office also provides information and referrals for individuals who are navigating seniors services and tracks their concerns, which helps inform future work.”
The services which the B.C. Seniors Advocate Office monitors are in five key areas: health care, housing, income supports, community supports and transportation. You can find out more about The B.C. Seniors Advocate here: https://www.seniorsadvocatebc.ca/
In June of 2025 the BC Securities Commission (BCSC) reported that it is “turning up the volume on fraud prevention” with a newly launched ad campaign that uses custom ringtones to help seniors and their families recognize and avoid investment scams.
The BCSC says that fraud is one of the most common and most devastating crimes affecting seniors in B.C. and is rapidly on the rise. The commission states that artificial intelligence is often used by scammers to exploit individuals “digital illiteracy” when targeting older adults to intimidate or take advantage of a person’s vulnerability, trust and financial hopes.
The BCSC’s director of communications and education said, “Scammers may be calling your grandparents more than you are,” in a recent release by the commission posted on their site she adds, “Scamtones is meant to spark conversations between seniors and their more tech-savvy relatives about investment fraud in the digital era. These ringtones are a reminder for older adults to pause and think twice about picking up or responding to a suspicious call.”
Scamtones can be accessed via the BC Securities Commission website here: https://www.investright.org/scamtones/
A resident in the interior of B.C. in the North Thompson Valley, who wishes to remain anonymous fearing she may become a further “target” as a challenge to scammers, was recently contacted via email by a crypto currency email scam and told Black Press, “I’m glad I had the sense to call my bank which is RBC, immediately. Thank goodness I didn’t click on any links or respond in any way. I admit my heart was racing when it appeared from the email that they had accessed my chequing account, confirming they had received over $600.00 for crypto currency that I had allegedly ordered. Upon speaking with my bank representative right away he checked the date shown on the email and the amount reassuring me that this was indeed a fraud, and nothing had gone through my account that day or in that amount.”
What the bank then cautioned the senior about as a reminder was to never offer any personal information to anyone over the phone, especially someone you don’t know. He told the senior that RBC will never phone you to verify personal information or ask for security or private information. If you suspect something, you need to call your bank directly via a security number or the customer service number on the back of your bank card or credit card and he warned the client to never click on any link in any email that you feel is questionable.
If you have been a victim of a scam, please report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. To report by phone, call this number toll free: 1-888-495-8501, Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. (ET) and closed on holidays.
More info on many scams can be found on their website: https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/Impor
