In Saint-Laurent, we take action against fraud

Neighborhood police station 7 (PDQ 7) and their partners invite the citizens of Saint-Laurent to be vigilant in the face of the Fraudwhich claims numerous victims.

As an economic crime, fraud is devious and can strike in different forms: urgent payment fraud; payment card fraud (credit or debit); romance fraud; SMS phishing (texting); grandson-type fraud targeting seniors; etc.

A handbook illustrating the different types of fraud along with a workbook offering different examples were produced by the team at PDQ 7 in collaboration with the Intercultural Committee of Saint-Laurent, the Arrondissement de Saint-Laurent and Info-Crime Montreal. These documents, which notably contain prevention advice according to the types of fraud, were distributed to several stakeholders from community organizations working with various clienteles in Saint-Laurent and supported by a training session for community organizers.

Here are some essential prevention tips to remember:

• Use caution when approached, whether in person, over the phone, email or texts;
• Never give in to pressure;
• Ignore prompts asking for quick action or response;
• Do not share financial or personal information;
• Never click on a hyperlink inside an email or text message before validating its origin;
• Check your account statements regularly;
• Don't be afraid to say no, even if the person asking you seems credible and has information about you.

Useful resources:

• For support or to file a complaint, consult the neighbourhood police station 7 website: spvm.qc.ca/en/pdq7

• To report fraud anonymously and confidentially, contact Info-Crime Montréal at 514 393-1133 or via the report form available on the infocrimemontreal.ca website.
• In case of an emergency, dial 911.

Let's unite our efforts to prevent fraud in Saint-Laurent.

Thank you to all of you for your collaboration and your vigilance.