Canadian Pet Cremation Fraud-Is This Happening In The UK?

CARLISLE, UNITED KINGDOM, Apr 03, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Fears that grieving pet owners in the UK are being misled when paying for their pets to be individually cremated have surfaced following an undercover investigation which exposed deception at pet crematoriums in the Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada.

In the UK, as well as in Canada and across the world, there is no regulation of the pet cremation industry. The majority of pet cremations are sold by vets, the nature of the service is rarely described in detail and the mark-ups vets' make on contracting out these services are a significant contribution to their annual profits.

Companies vying to win lucrative contracts with vets compete to cut their costs as much as possible - and so the likelihood grows that pet owners don't get the service they expect - but may never find out the truth. A case in Derbyshire last year highlighted the problems. Pet cremations sold through a vet were later found to be fraudulent after the pets were found dumped in a field.

Concerned that bereaved pet owners needed more protection, The Association of Private Pet Cemeteries & Crematoria was formed in the UK and its members operate to a code of practice ensuring that an individual cremation means that the pet is placed alone in a cremation chamber - as with a human cremation - and care and respect shown in all aspects of the service.

APPCC Vice Chairman Stephen Mayles said: "We know that mis-selling is taking places by the fact that the services are not described."

He added: "One of our members was told by a vet that had recently come into a practice that he was shocked that they weren't making large mark-ups on the cremations - and that was how other vet practices worked. By using commercial veterinary services a vet practice can make very large profits from selling cremations. Coupled with this are inducements to sell a certain number of "individual" cremations a month providing a situation where distressed pet owners are liable to be pushed into paying for something that may not be what they want.

The Canadian investigation was paid for by the Pet Cremation Alliance, a group of animal lovers and pet industry experts who suspected unethical behaviour on the part of some companies.

Using an experienced private investigator, they bought life-sized toy cats, removed their fillings and substituted raw meat. The toys were then frozen and taken to 12 Vancouver pet crematoriums for an individual cremation. When the toy cat was burned only some metal and dust should have been returned, but in six cases urns of ashes were returned that archaeologists confirmed included animal bone fragments - presumably the remains of someone else's pet.

Could similar deceptions be happening in the UK? The APPCC believes the answer is 'yes'. In the UK the only licensing of pet crematoriums is at waste disposal level to ensure that environmental laws are not broken. Many pet cremations are mass disposals where multiple animal bodies are burned together and finally sent to a waste site. There are also 'segregated' cremations where bodies are placed in the cremator either on numbered trays or separated by bricks or other means. The APPCC is aware that many cremation companies and vets describe this as an individual or private cremation without going into the detail.

Mr Mayles said: "Since cremation is a volatile process nobody can predict just how much mixing of remains will occur. Sometimes there is no movement and other times the remains may be tossed around the chamber. Even if there is no mixing the service is not necessarily what a person would be expecting from an 'individual' cremation."

The APPCC wants to see:

- The APPCC trading standards adopted by all veterinary surgeries to provide full details of ALL the levels of cremation and disposal services on offer so owners can make an informed choice.

- Vets charging for arranging a cremation, storage of the body, etc and passing on pet crematorium costs as a disbursement.

- Pet owners made aware that they don't HAVE to leave their pet with their vet and accept the service offered.

Questions you should ask your vet or cremation service are:

- What is your exact definition of an "individual" cremation?

- How do you identify animals' individual ashes?

- How do you store and transport my pet to be cremated and how are the ashes transported after cremation?

- How will you ensure my pet is treated with care and respect throughout the whole process?

Mr Mayles said: "The veterinary world is changing rapidly from a professional to a commercial service. Decisions are not necessarily taken for the benefit of the clients but for the bottom line of the business. That is not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to the core business as the two can coincide - but when unregulated services are sold for pure profit it is a doorway to disaster."

Useful links:

Association of Private Pet Cemeteries & Crematoria - http://appcc.org.uk/index.htm

Pet Cremation Alliance - http://petcremationalliance.org

CTV News reports in Canada - http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20120329/bc_steele_pet_cremation_regulations_120329/20120329/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20120328/bc_steele_pet _cremation_pound_120328/20120328/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

Do some digging before you dig through your pockets for charity

The appeal sounds sincere, the cause seems worthwhile, and giving money to make something somewhere a little bit better just feels good.

That's probably why nearly half of young Canadians - 45 per cent of those 18 to 34 - don't do any research before handing over their hard-earned cash to a charity.

Just over half of them will donate on the spur of the moment, which adds the probability they won't check to see if the organization is legitimate first, according to a survey commissioned by CanadaHelps.org and Capital One Canada for Fraud Prevention Month.

Only 19 per cent of Millennials, as people in that age group are commonly known, are concerned about being victims of a scam - compared with 27 per cent in other age groups.

They're more likely than other age groups to hand over personal information, half as likely to ask if a charity is registered, and even less likely than that to ask for identification from those asking for the money.

The survey suggested 72 per cent of Canadians as a whole think there is more charity fraud today than 10 years ago.

"It's important that donors know how to find legitimate causes, so they can feel comfortable giving to charity - online and off," said Owen Charters, CEO of CanadaHelps, an online donations website where donors can give to all charities that are registered with the Canada Revenue Agency for a 3.9 per cent transaction fee on each donation.

Charities are increasingly making their appeals online through e-mail and social media (17 per cent), while 20 per cent continue to rely on telephone appeals.
Millennials aside, Canadians are more wary about making donations online than they are about making online purchases .

"With more Canadians giving online than ever before, it is increasingly important for them to understand what to look for before giving out their credit card number and other personal information," said Laurel Ostfield, a spokeswoman for Capital One Canada.

Capital One and CanadaHelps offer these fraud prevention tips:

- Make sure the charity is registered with the Canada Revenue Agency and provides you with its charitable registration number .

- Ask to see the charity's financial statements. They should be available to anyone who asks, and will give you an idea of how the charity spends its money.

- Understand the charity's impact. Whoever is soliciting the money should be able to give you a clear idea of what the charity does, and also the results of its efforts.

- Research. Instead of responding to solicitations when they come in, do some research about causes you support, and charities that work for those causes, and plan your giving that way. It's easier to resist solicitations if you know you're already doing what you can .

- Avoid the hard-sell. Charities that pressure you into making a donation are to be avoided, particularly if they're unwilling to provide clear and detailed information about their finances and services when asked.

Canadians can also go to www. canadahelps.org to take the third annual Charity Fraud Awareness Quiz, to see how aware they are of fraud.

The online survey was conducted among of sample of 1,000 Canadians aged 18 and over who are members of the Angus Reid Forum, which is owned by Vision Critical. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Canada touts its Little Black Book of Scams

The 30-page booklet, filled with caricatures and cartoons, warns Canadians against everything from lottery scams to pyramid schemes, as well as conmen operating through dating web sites.

"We have developed the Canadian edition of The Little Black Book of Scams to increase your awareness of the many types of fraud that target Canadians," wrote Melanie Aitken, the head of Canada's Competition Bureau, in the foreword of the booklet.

The Little Black Book of Scams focuses on con schemes that typically target gullible consumers, grandparents and the lovelorn, and the booklet is modeled around a similar one published by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

"You cannot win money or a prize in a lottery unless you have entered it," the guide informs readers. "Many Canadians are lured by the excitement of a surprise win and find themselves sending huge amounts of money to claim fake prizes."

It also cautions that while there are many legitimate dating websites operating in Canada, there are many dating and romance scams that part people of their money by appealing to their more compassionate side.

"Scammers target people of all backgrounds, ages and income levels," warns the booklet. "They know how to push your buttons to produce the response they want."

For a link to The Little Black Book of Scams:
link.reuters.com/syb37s

NATO security tricked by fake Facebook profile

A Facebook page for James G. Stavridis.

When the "friend request" appeared on their Facebook accounts, the military officers and government officials in Britain, America and their allies must have been flattered.

Who wouldn't want to be considered a personal friend of NATO's most senior officer, Admiral James Stavridis?

But, when they accepted the request, they had in reality become "friends" with a fake admiral whose electronic profile was constructed by foreign spies. Classified briefings suggest they were working for the Chinese state.

Neither Facebook nor NATO would disclose just how many people had fallen for the scam, but it was clear the number was significant - and so are the implications.

The spies who ran the fake profile gained access to a treasure trove of personal details - e-mail addresses, the names of family members , and possibly even phone numbers .
The personal information could be used by hackers to try to crack the passwords used on encrypted systems.Many people use the names of loved ones in passwords .

For NATO, it was a major embarrassment which emphasizes just how the nature of spycraft has changed from the days before the Internet. As a result, they have told military officers and diplomats who work for NATO that they should establish their own social networking profiles - in case the sting is repeated.

Stavridis now has an official Facebook site while the bogus one has been deleted.
Facebook uses sophisticated techniques to identify bogus .

A spokesman said: "After the profile was reported to us, it was taken down as soon as we were notified and investigated the issue."

Young more susceptible to fraud than old. Surprised?

Fraud is big business in Canada. According to the RCMP, fraud-related offences are now thought to be as lucrative as drug-related crimes, reeling in between $10-billion and $30-billion annually. In the month of December alone, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) recorded 2,413 victim complaints over losses of more than $4.5-million.

Unfortunately, many Canadians, especially those between the ages of 18 and 30, aren’t exactly keeping a tight grip on personal data that may be used to perpetrate identity theft and other scams.

A new study by Visa Canada found that younger Canadians were the most casual about sharing sensitive information, with 32 per cent admitting to freely posting their e-mail address, home address, birthday, or phone number on social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.

In contrast, 24 per cent of those aged 31 to 45, 14 per cent of baby boomers (aged 46 to 65) and just 9 per cent of seniors (66 and older) reported engaging in the same behaviour.

Millennials are also more likely to share their PIN (personal identification number) with friends and family, lend their credit or debit cards to others, shop online, and use mobile devices; behaviours that can increase their chances of being ensnared by a fraudster.

Results of the survey also found that while seniors are the least likely to post personal information on social networks, they’re often the primary target of scams, particularly fraudulent phone calls and e-mails designed to solicit personal and financial information.

The "emergency" or "grandparent" scam, which has resurfaced with a vengeance recently, is the type of con older people should keep an eye out for. Typically the caller pretends to be a grandchild who's in some kind of trouble - whether a car accident, trouble returning from a foreign country or needing bail money. Wanting to help their grandchild, the victim sends money by a money transfer company such as Money Gram or Western Union.

Unfortunately, amongst those who had been victimized by fraud, seniors (66 and older) were the least likely to talk about it afterwards, with only 50 per cent reporting they had spoken to friends or family about their experience, compared with 70 per cent amongst all other generations.

“It’s crucial that seniors have conversations about fraud, so they can learn how to protect themselves,” said Gord Jamieson, head of Visa Canada’s payment system risk, in a press release. “No one should be embarrassed to talk to family, friends or their financial institution if they have questions about fraud or are worried they may have been victimized.”

But it’s not all doom and gloom on the fraud front. There are indications that Canadians are starting to get the message about protection their information.

A TD Canada poll found that the majority of Canadians are wary of emerging types of fraud such as online fraud, malicious social media apps, phishing and fraudulent cellphone apps, and are taking some steps to protect themselves, including:

• Ensuring computer’s security software and virus/malware protection is up-to-date (86 per cent)
• Subscribing to the highest level of privacy on their social media accounts (73 per cent)
• Using a lock function with a password-protection feature whenever their mobile phone, tablet, or computer starts up or times out (54 per cent)
• Never texting or e-mailing banking information (46 per cent)
• Never downloading social media apps from unknown sources (45 per cent)
• Never sharing e-mail or social media site passwords (45 per cent)

National News: March is Fraud Prevention Month: Recognize it, Report it, Stop it!

OTTAWA — March 1, 2012 — Fraud-related offences are now thought to be as profitable as drug-related offences, estimated at between $10 and $30 billion annually in Canada by the RCMP’s Commercial Crime Branch. The majority of these crimes aren’t committed by kids at their computers, 80% or more of the work is conducted by criminal organizations.

Fraud should concern all Canadians because it de-stabilizes our national economy while strengthening organized crime groups. The impact on individuals, families and businesses is devastating: retirement savings, homes, businesses – and in some cases, lives – have all been lost. The only good news is that the majority of frauds can be prevented by identifying the methods used by fraudsters. The more you know about a fraud, the less likely you are to fall for it.

Fraud Prevention Month is an annual event that gives private and public organizations involved in the fight against fraud an opportunity to further raise public awareness. “While the spotlight is on fraud during the month of March, it’s important to be vigilant about it all year long. Being cautious isn’t something to be ashamed of. Whether you’re shielding your PIN number from view or asking questions of telemarketers, don’t be afraid of offending people who are asking for your money,” says RCMP Superintendent Steve Foster, Director of the RCMP Commercial Crime Branch.

"Organized crime presents a serious threat to Canadian communities and is linked to a wide range of criminal activity, including fraud," said Public Safety Minister, Vic Toews. "Public awareness is critical to fighting fraud and our Government is committed to the development of initiatives that help inform Canadians on how to protect themselves and their families from fraud-related crimes."

Over the next four weeks, the RCMP will be participating in a series of local and national fraud-awareness initiatives. To help reduce your chances of being victimized by fraud, check the RCMP's website daily during the month of March for tips aimed at keeping you safe from scammers. Topics covered will include identity theft, phishing, on-line shopping, social networking and credit and debit card fraud.

For more information on scheduled activities, please visit the websites of these and other organizations taking part in Fraud Prevention Month:

• RCMP- Scam and Fraud
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
• Competition Bureau of Canada
• Competition Bureau of Canada - Fraud Prevention Month Events

Fraud can happen to anyone. Take steps to protect yourself.

OTTAWA, March 2, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada offers tips to help Canadian consumers

Fraudsters have discovered new ways to steal money and information thanks to the popularity of social networking sites, unsecured public Internet access points and online activities like shopping, buying and selling, dating and gaming. Online fraud may be the latest way to scam people, but it is not the only approach that is used.

"The best way to avoid becoming a victim of fraud is to protect your personal and financial information at all times. Whether you're at home, in a public place, on the phone or online, keep in mind that someone could steal personal information if it is not properly protected," says Ursula Menke, Commissioner of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC). "Fraud can be committed by anyone—someone close to you, someone in your community, or a distant stranger," she added.

Fraud: recognize it, report it, stop it.

FCAC has produced a number of tip sheets and online information dealing with fraud that can help you identify it and protect yourself from it. You can also find the steps to take if you have become a victim of fraud.

Preventing fraud:

Never provide your personal or financial information unless you trust the person you are communicating with. Some fraudsters pretend to be from reputable organizations in order to get the details they need.

Keep your personal information in a secure place and dispose of it by shredding it.

Never email your personal or financial information.

Be very wary of clicking on links included in emails, because they may lead to fraudulent websites pretending to be legitimate.Instead, enter the website address of the organization you are looking for in the address bar of your browser yourself.

Before entering any personal or financial information, look for websites with addresses starting with "https" or that have a padlock image in the address bar.This will indicate that the information entered on these pages is secure.

Keep your computer antivirus, firewall and spyware software up to date.

Regularly check your accounts and statements for any suspicious or incorrect activity and report it immediately to your financial institution.

If you become a victim:

Don't be embarrassed to report it. Fraud can happen to anyone.

Start a written log: write down when you noticed the fraud and the actions you took, including names of people you spoke to and dates of communications.

File a report with your local police.

Contact your financial institutions and any other companies (for example, your phone company, cable provider, etc.) where your accounts were tampered with, or are at risk of being tampered with.

Advise Canada's two credit rating agencies, TransUnion and Equifax. Ask them to put a fraud alert on your file.

Contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre's national anti-fraud call centre at 1-888-495-8501 or by email at: info@antifraudcentre.ca.

Building consumer confidence

More information about fraud is available on FCAC's website. There are tip sheets on how to protect yourself from different types of fraud, including identity fraud, debit card fraud, credit card fraud, email and phone fraud and real estate fraud. The Online Fraud page includes tips on how to prevent identity theft and fraud when using public wireless Internet access and social networking sites. If you are looking to rent or buy a home, you might be interested to learn more about spotting housing frauds and scams. Job seekers should watch out for employment fraud.