KAWARTHA LAKES- Kawartha Lakes Fire Rescue Service is warning local residents about alleged fraudulent advertising and ticket sales confirmed to be happening in Ontario.
Residents are asked to be wary of:
- An individual attempting to sell advertising space in a fire safety education magazine called The Ontario Firefighters’ Safety Gazette
- This individual has no association or affiliation with the Ontario Fire Service
- An individual selling advertising space in Provincial Fire Fighters Magazine
- This person is using another publishing company’s name and HST number on invoices without permission
- The rightful owner of this HST number has been notified of the illegal activity
- An individual selling tickets to an event under the guise that they represent a branch of the Ontario Fire Service
- They have been requesting personal credit card information and processing unauthorized transactions
Officials recommend the following:
- Search the internet to verify existence of the organization the individual claims to represent
- Research the address on the invoice
- Request a copy of the letter of authorization from the organization the individual claims to represent
- Contact the organization directly
- Request verification of the company’s HST number by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
- Use extreme caution when giving credit card information over the telephone
If you believe you have become a victim of these frauds, please take the following actions:
- Notify your financial institution or credit card company
- File a complaint with Consumer Protection Ontario: https://www.ontario.ca/page/consumer-protection-ontario
- Notify the organization the individual claims to represent
- Notify your local police
- Notify your local MPP
The police, provincial government officials and the CRA have been notified of these issues and will continue to monitor them.
