New online scam holds computers for ransom

A new online scam that freezes computers with a message purportedly from RCMP and associating users with child pornography has moved across the world and into North America.
RCMP issued a warning about the new computer virus after receiving 200 reports since February of the malware attacking Canadian residents.

The "ransomware," which in recent years had been contained to Russia and nearby countries, freezes the computer and creates a pop-up message - claiming to be from the RCMP or other government agencies - informing users that their computer is associated with child pornography or illegal music downloading and demands a $100 payment to unlock the computer.

The mention of child pornography often shocks victims who rush to pay the ransom through an online payment service called Ukash. The illegal activity accusation mixed with a fake message from law enforcement scares people, said Sgt. Stephane Turgeon of the RCMP technological crime unit.
"People think it must be true and they'll be charged so maybe they should send the money right away," Turgeon said. "These messages are scams - never send money to somebody you don't know. RCMP and the government do not ask for money in this way."

RCMP have received one report of the scam in Saskatchewan. The malware is probably more widespread in Canada than the 200 reports to RCMP since it is likely many more people with affected computers have not reported the incidents, Turgeon said. People should not hesitate to report the scam since it could help the RCMP investigation, he added.

Investigations into computer scams are difficult because technology allows suspects to conceal their actual location through proxy servers in different countries and the malware's computer code changes often, Turgeon said.

"These are highly complex investigations involving international jurisdictions," he said. "The best way to investigate is through old-fashioned police work through interviewing witnesses and following tips."

The attacks appear to originate in eastern European countries, Turgeon said. The first widespread use of the malware happened in Russia several years ago, but has since moved across Europe and now North America.

The malware attacks out-of-date operating systems so computer users should make sure their operating systems and anti-virus and firewall software are running with the latest updates installed, Turgeon said. If you have an infected computer, take it to a technician who can remove the malware.
People can report incidents of the "ransomware" to the Canadian Anti-fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.

Identity theft support centre launched to combat Canada's largest growing crime

OTTAWA - Canada's fastest growing crime may have bank robbers reconsidering their options.

Fraud researchers and police say identity theft - which can range from credit card misuse to more serious violations such as impersonating someone to take out a mortgage - has led to an increase of organized crime in Canada.

"What's easier and what's safer - sitting in a basement somewhere, with a computer, stealing somebody's identity and all the funds out of their bank account or walking in with a gun into a bank?" said Kevin Scott, president of the Canadian Identity Theft Prevention Association. "This is obviously where a lot of criminals are migrating right now."

Scott says children are now also becoming victims because some criminals manage to steal social insurance numbers from infants.

"This is really one of the issues that is starting to happen throughout North America," he said.

To combat these problems, a new centre for identity theft victims was officially launched in Vancouver Thursday.

The Canadian Identity Theft Support Centre, funded by the feds and private partners, has been set up to help victims dealing with the fallout of identity theft. It has a help line - 1-866-436-5461 - and four employees who can provide step-by-step support on the phone.

The centre began its work back in April but it did not officially launch its operation until now.

Canada's Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart applauds the move to open the operation but she says there are existing legislative gaps which continue to pose hurtles.

Stoddart says the passage of two key pieces of legislation - including an anti-spam bill - would help to reduce concerns.

The RCMP, which is also working to crack down on identity theft on the enforcement end, says it difficult to crack down on the crime once it is committed, especially due to technology.

Anatomy of an astonishing elder fraud: One couple's losses and hard lessons

RALEIGH, N.C. — With their elderly parents seated across the octagonal oak table, Donna and Jim Parker were back in the kitchen they knew so well — the hutch along one wall crammed with plates, bells and salt-and-pepper shakers picked up during family trips; at the table's corner, the spindly wooden high chair where a 7-year-old Jim had tearfully confessed to setting a neighbor's woods ablaze.

It was Christmastime, but this was no holiday gathering. Now, it was the parents who were in deep trouble, and this was an intervention.

For the past year, Charles and Miriam Parker, both 81, had been in the thrall of an international sweepstakes scam. The retired educators, with a half-dozen college degrees between them, had lost tens of thousands of dollars.

But money wasn't just leaving the Parker house. Strangely, large sums were now coming in, too.

Their four children were worried, but had been powerless to open their parents' eyes. Maybe, Donna thought, they'd listen to people with badges.

And so, joining them at the family table that late-December day in 2005 were Special Agent Joan Fleming of the FBI and David Evers, an investigator from the North Carolina attorney general's telemarketing fraud unit.

The home was littered with sweepstakes mailers and "claim" forms, the cupboards bare of just about everything but canned soup, bread and crackers. Charles Parker acknowledged that he'd lost a lot of money, but expressed confidence that he and his wife would eventually succeed if they just kept "investing."

Evers and Fleming showed the couple a video of other elderly scam victims, then played a taped interview of a former con man describing how he operated. Charles was alarmed by what he was seeing and hearing, but his wife seemed to be barely paying attention.

With the couple's permission, Evers installed a "mooch line" on the kitchen phone so they could capture incoming calls. The Parkers pledged their cooperation.

After gathering up some of the mailings for evidence, the officers left, encouraged by what seemed a few hours well spent.

But in the coming months and years, things would only get worse for the Parker family — much worse.

Not naive
The Parkers were hardly unsophisticated people, the type to be easily fooled.

Born in 1924, Charles Alexander Parker and Miriam Wilkinson were high school sweethearts back in Pitman, N.J. After Charles served in the Navy in World War II, they married and embarked on a life of learning and teaching.

This Thursday, April 19, 2012 photo shows a framed picture and other mementoes of Charles and Miriam Parker in their Raleigh, N.C., home.

Charles earned a doctorate in speech communications, and Miriam received a pair of master's degrees, one in special education. Along the way, Miriam gave birth to four children: Donna, Jim, Linda and Carole.

After other teaching stints, Charles Parker took a position in the English department at North Carolina State in Raleigh, from which he would eventually retire. In 1966, the couple built a split-level home, later converting the garage into a classroom for Miriam's special-needs pupils.

Through hard work and thrift, the Parkers were able to send all four children to college and pay off their home. Between their savings and Charles' pension, they were looking at a comfortable retirement.

Then the conman entered their lives.

Older Americans lose $2.9 billion a year to fraud, according to a study last year by the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech. Most victims are between 80 and 89, and most are women.

Using the latest technologies, "these criminals need not defraud their victims face-to-face," David Kirkman and Virginia H. Templeton wrote in a 2007 article for the journal Alzheimer's Care Today. From far away, "they can identify vulnerable seniors, contact them, and induce them to part with their savings."

A slowing down of brain function comes with normal aging, they noted. The elderly are susceptible to errors in judgment, particularly in situations where a snap decision is required — such as during a telemarketing call.

"Experience teaches us that those with mild dementia tend to be the most vulnerable," wrote Kirkman, an assistant attorney general in North Carolina, and Templeton, a gerontologist.

The Mayo Clinic defines "mild cognitive impairment" as an "intermediate stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and the more pronounced decline of dementia."

The basis for a diagnosis in many cases: falling victim to repeated scams.

Series of calls
No one can say exactly how the trouble began in the Parkers' case.

They might have made a small donation to some charity or responded to a sweepstakes letter they got in the mail. Somehow, the couple ended up on what people in the industry call the "sucker list."

Then the scammers proceeded to "reload" them.

You've won this multimillion-dollar lottery, they'd say. All you need to do is send us money to cover taxes, and we'll send you your prize.

So on Dec. 8, 2004, Miriam Parker — then 80 — drove herself to the Wal-Mart down the road to send a MoneyGram to Montreal, Quebec.

Isolation from absent children is often a hallmark in cases like this. But that wasn't so with the Parkers. Sure, Jim had settled in Ohio, and Carole was living in Florida. But Linda and Donna were both just down the road in Cary.

A busy real estate agent and teacher, Donna — the eldest — popped in as often as she could. But she'd always appreciated her parents for not trying to tell her and her siblings how to live their lives, and she did her best to return the courtesy.

In her parents' living room is a plaque that reads, "Mom's 10 Commandments for a Happy Household." No. 6: "If it rings, answer it."

And so, over a series of calls, Howard Clark — a man with a warm voice who called her "dear" and "sweetheart" — had learned enough personal information about Miriam to convince her that he was the family's ticket to riches.

This Monday, June 11, 2012 photo shows piles of official-looking sweepstakes and other mailings spread on a table at the North Carolina Attorney General's office in Raleigh, N.C. Officials say elderly people lose nearly $3 billion a year to such fraud. (AP Photo/Allen Breed)

Other MoneyGrams followed. Then, on Jan. 12, 2005, Miriam sent a Federal Express package to a "Mr. Stewart" on Papineau Street in Montreal. Inside, as instructed, was a magazine with $12,550 in cash sandwiched between its pages.

By May 2005, the Parkers had blown through their savings. They had tapped into their home equity line and had maxed out several credit cards. They were running out of things to give.

Unwittingly, their children had contributed to the problem. When Miriam asked Donna for a $7,000 loan, the daughter thought little of it.

Through most of their marriage, Charles Parker had taken care of the couple's finances. But in 1989, shortly after his retirement, he suffered a heart attack. That was followed by colon cancer. As her husband's health declined, Miriam stepped to the fore.

Faced with mounting debt — and clinging to assurances that a big payday was coming — she was determined to right their financial ship.

That's when she became a "money mule."

Family intervention
Howard told Miriam that she'd been "hired" by the Canadian sweepstakes company.

On May 5, 2005, a package from Bloomingdale, N.J., containing $8,275 in cash arrived at the Parkers' home. Others followed and in about a week, Miriam Parker would receive and repackage $60,000 in cash for delivery to Mr. Stewart.

Sometimes, there would be two stacks of bills tucked into magazines. The smaller pile was Miriam Parker's "commission."

Howard said she wasn't to tell her children about their dealings. But the kids had already become alarmed by changes in their mother's behavior.

During visits, Jim noticed that she would race him to the phone, then prevent him from listening to the conversations.

And then there was the need for loans. When Donna asked what for, her parents were evasive.

When the children finally persuaded their mother to get a credit report, the news was jaw-dropping. Their thrifty parents were nearly $200,000 in debt.

Miriam Parker insisted that their ship was about to come in, and that she would soon repay the loans. So Donna gave her a deadline.

In an email to the other siblings, she explained: "I told her that if the money was not there by Wednesday, July 6, the family would be forced to do things we do not look forward to."

The money, of course, did not come. It was time to get authorities involved.

Donna went to the state Attorney General's Elder Fraud Unit. Around that same time, she received a call from the FBI — her parents had popped up on their radar. It became apparent to authorities that the Parkers weren't truly willing participants in the scam. So they staged the December family intervention.

Donna allowed herself to hope that the people who'd ripped off her parents would be caught — and that they might even get some of their money back.

But a frantic phone call a couple of weeks later dashed those hopes.

"They're going to turn the gas off," her mother told her on a day with temperatures forecast to plunge into the 20s.

Eventually, the children were having to buy their parents' groceries.

Attorneys Donna contacted could offer no help — the elder Parkers hadn't been deemed incompetent, and it was their money.

In April 2006, Jim Parker and his wife Susan came to town for Donna's wedding. They were sitting in his parents' kitchen when the doorbell rang.

The FedEx driver handed Jim a crinkly envelope. He knew without opening it what was inside and turned it over to Kirkman, manager of the Elder Fraud Prevention Project in the AG's office.

When authorities opened the envelope, they found an old issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. It contained $5,725 in cash from a Visalia, Calif., widow.

Kirkman called a contact at Federal Express, who ordered a stop on deliveries and pickups at the Parker home.

But the crooks just switched to United Parcel Service.

And now, in addition to money, they were delivering and picking up car tires and custom rims, and laptop computers worth thousands of dollars — all purchased by other elderly victims.

That's when state and federal authorities reached out to their counterparts north of the border.

Credit union
On Aug. 2, 2006, officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Surete du Quebec paid a visit to Dave Stewart.

The Jamaican native acknowledged accepting numerous packages from the American lady on behalf of a man whom he knew as "Roger." Stewart said he was paid $100 per package.

Professing ignorance of any illegal activity, Stewart agreed to cooperate.

This undated photo provided by the Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office shows Clayton Atkinson.

Howard, meanwhile, gave Miriam a new address to which she should forward items.

On Aug. 17, 2006, laptops valued at more than $7,200 arrived from Hayward, Calif. She sent them to a "Joseph Reid" in the Montreal borough of Verdun. Parcels kept coming — from Texas and Massachusetts, South Carolina and Washington, Missouri and Maine.

In December 2006, the Parker kids persuaded their parents to grant Donna a limited power of attorney. A month later, she accompanied them to the credit union, where they took out a 30-year, $179,000 mortgage on their home.

Caught red-handed
Miriam Parker had become a cog in Howard Clark's fraud machine. The FBI's Fleming decided to turn the tables on him.

On April 3, 2007, Miriam phoned him — this time with Fleming recording.

"Howard?"

"Yes, dear," he replied sweetly.

As the conversation went on, Howard grew testy about her failure to send her packages quickly. In one case, he noted, trucks had left a UPS office just before an important package arrived from her. Send everything next-day air, he demanded.

When she asked whether she should go back to her former shipper, Howard cut her off: "No, you can't never go there again."

When she suggested that the person at the store was just trying to save her some money, Howard told her that was not their concern and to do as instructed. "I'm giving you the money to pay for this."

Perhaps sensing he'd been too hard, he changed his tone.

"Not to say that YOU are making the mistake, but maybe they are," he said. "And we can't afford for you OR them to make the mistake."

But this time it was Howard who'd made the mistake.

The FBI determined the pitch calls were coming from Montreal, and Mounties soon had a real name for "Howard Clark" — he was Clayton Atkinson, who had 13 convictions for assault, theft and weapons possession.

On April 13, 2007, officers from the RCMP raided Atkinson's apartment and caught him with the "pitch phone" in his hand.

In Raleigh, a federal grand jury handed up a 35-count indictment against Atkinson and two co-defendants — Dave Stewart and Jamaal McKenzie, aka "Joseph Reid." The three were charged with one count each of conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property, seven counts of wire fraud and 26 counts of mail fraud.

Mentally incompetent
Even then, the trouble wasn't finished for the Parkers.

A Western Union office called Donna to say her parents had been in a couple of times in one day to wire money to "relatives" in Jamaica. They were clearly a marked couple.

Donna suggested it was time they let her take over their affairs.

"I am NOT mentally incompetent," her father protested.

But in May 2008, she filed a petition, and the court appointed local attorney David T. Watters guardian ad litem. The Parkers were "charming and personable," but hopelessly blind to their predicament, he wrote to the court.

Miriam was his main concern.

"Incredibly, Respondent fails to recognize that the family is the victim of a cruel financial scam," he wrote. "In two conversations, she indicated that she felt that she was working with a better quality of person at this time, and that these people would live up to their promise to provide money to Respondent."

The court appointed Donna Parker guardian of their estate.

Blight on society
The criminal case ground slowly along, and last year Atkinson and Stewart pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy and mail fraud. (McKenzie is awaiting trial in Canada on an unrelated assault charge.)

When Atkinson appeared for sentencing at U.S. District Court in Raleigh on March 15, Miriam and Donna Parker were there. Charles Parker had died just a month earlier.

When the time came for victim impact statements, Donna Parker rose. She told Judge Terrence W. Boyle of having to take her parents to court, and of the lingering resentment it had caused.

"Scammers who prey on the elderly," she said, "are a blight on society."

Atkinson said he hoped to one day return to Canada to care for his aging father.

Seizing on this, the judge asked: "Can you imagine if somebody like you was doing this to your family? Could you imagine how shocked and outraged you'd be?"

"I can't sit in front of you and give an excuse for it," Atkinson said.

Boyle sentenced Atkinson to 12½ years in prison, Stewart to 6½. He also ordered them to pay $840,705 in restitution — $84,350 of it to Miriam Parker.

Responding to an interview request, Atkinson, 34, sent The Associated Press a three-page letter, cursing America's "corrupted justice system."

"my life is (expletive) ruined now," his unpunctuated reply said. "you think i care about the parkers"

Smart kids
Miriam Parker kept her home, but she's lost most of her independence. Each month, Donna sends her a debit card with $500 on it, to pay for food and personal expenses. The daughter still screens the mail and pays the other bills.

On a recent day, the two sat at that familiar oak table, a Lazy Susan piled with junk mail between them.

Shuffling envelopes, Miriam told a reporter, "As I look back on it, it was a good bit of stupidity on my part." She said she knows better than to respond to junk mail now.

"I'd better not," she said, casting a glance at her daughter. "Or they would've been on my back, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Donna replied.

"Which is all right," the mother said. "I have very smart kids."

"We had to be," her daughter said.

Forgery not acceptable as a sales pitch

When he received his Enbridge bill last February, Jeffrey Pelletier discovered a charge from Active Energy. He called Active, but was told he had signed a contract. Pelletier asked to see the contract and quickly determined the signature and initials were fake.

Police, the province and natural gas distributor Enbridge should get off their butts now that Jeffrey Pelletier’s signature has been forged a second time on those notorious energy company contracts.

He got the runaround the first time after his forged signature and initials appeared on a contract with Active Energy. The natural gas retailer thought it had Pelletier signed up to a five-year “carbon offset” or “green” program. Now, the forgeries appear on a five-year contract for a similar program with Summitt Home Services.

For $19.99 a month plus HST, paid through their Enbridge accounts, subscribers can sleep easier knowing their money is being spent to remove their carbon footprints. The money is apparently invested into programs (i.e. tree planting) that work to decrease carbon-monoxide emissions from hydro use, or into renewable energy projects (i.e. wind power, geothermal heat).

Nice idea if one wants to spend $1,199.40 plus $156 HST over five years. But Pelletier didn’t and shooed away a couple of door-to-door agents who showed up at his home last fall.

When he received his Enbridge bill last February, Pelletier discovered the charge from Active Energy. He called Active, but was told he had signed a contract. Pelletier asked to see the contract and quickly determined the signature and initials were fake. The contract was signed “David Pelletier.” David is his first name, and Jeffrey is his second name. But he says he always signs his name “DJ Pelletier.” When it comes to his initials, he signs “DJP.” “DP” was on the contract. “I can’t remember ever signing my name David Pelletier,” he says. As well, his phone number given on the contract was way off the mark.

Active wouldn’t take his word and demanded proof the signatures and initials were forgeries. But Active backed down and cancelled the contract after the Public Citizen contacted the company. It also credited his Enbridge account $45 for his troubles.

Many consumers across Ontario have fallen prey to unscrupulous door-to-door salespeople who ask them to switch their natural gas, electricity or water-heater suppliers. Some salespeople, who are paid on commission, use high-pressure tactics, often misrepresent what they are selling and even trick consumers into signing. Forgeries can be a last resort if nothing else works. Salespeople usually have the names of Enbridge customers they’re calling on.

Though the issue with Active was resolved, Pelletier was stunned that Ottawa police were not interested in investigating. A report was taken, but Pelletier says police suggested he call Enbridge instead. “Forgery was a crime the last time I checked,” said Pelletier last February.
For its part, Enbridge washed its hands, saying it was not responsible for any products or services its customers buy from other companies that use its billing service.

The Ontario Energy Board says it investigates forged contracts for energy contracts, but not for carbon offset or green programs. It suggests complaints be made to the Ministry of Consumer Services.

So who is Pelletier supposed to turn to after his forged signature and initials appeared on another contract for a green program, this one marketed by Summitt? The company has had its problems with the energy board over its sales tactics.

Pelletier got the latest surprise about a month ago when he opened his Enbridge bill and found a Summitt green charge of $19.99 plus HST.

He contacted Summitt but the company said there was little it could do as it had a signed contract from him. He could pay to break the contract, but that would cost him several hundred dollars.
Pelletier told Summitt he had gone through the same rigmarole a few months earlier with Active Energy, and that all it could possibly have in its records was a forged contract. He explained how he signs his name and initials. That seemed to work. He says the Summitt representative agreed to rip up the contract and told him to disregard the charge.

However, when he received his latest Enbridge invoice a few days ago, there were two “green” charges of $19.99, including a 33-cent penalty for missing last month’s payment. He called Summitt, which emailed him a copy of the contract dated last Jan. 6, just before his troubles with Active Energy began. He confirmed the forgeries. Though the name of Summitt salesman Justin O’Brien is on the contract, Pelletier does not remember anyone from the company showing up at his Meadowlands Drive home.

He called Enbridge, which this time promised to look into the matter after he told the company he had called this newspaper. Police now say he should complain to the Ministry of Consumer Services, not Enbridge as he was told the last time. Police say they will take his report and possibly investigate. The province? The Ministry of Consumer Services will take complaints at 1-800-889-9768 or online at www.ontario.ca/consumer services. But it also recommends that police be contacted as “forgery of an individual’s signature on a contract or any other document is an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada.”

Summitt spokesman Tyler Shannon directed me Thursday to Gerry Haggarty, the company’s chief executive. Shannon suggested I contact Haggarty by email, which I did immediately with a number of questions. Haggarty still hadn’t responded by late Friday afternoon.

 

Computer porn 'scareware' seen in Canada

OTTAWA, April 20 (UPI) -- Canadian officials are investigating complaints of computer users being asked for money because, they are told, their systems are linked to child pornography.

The hacking phenomenon known as "scareware" first appeared last year in Britain, but recently the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been receiving complaints from users in Prince Edward Island, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

"Over the past couple of weeks, some Islanders have received pop-up messages on their computers claiming to be from the RCMP or [the Canadian Security Intelligence Service] or the federal government of Canada, and they state that the computer is involved somehow with child pornography," Sgt. Andrew Blackadar told the broadcaster.

The pop-up seeks to get the user to pay as much as $250 through the Ukash payment system to erase the porn links, Blackadar said.

Users that did click on the link found their computer completely frozen and were unable to reboot, the report said.

The RCMP said anyone receiving such a message should immediately power their computer down. The force also recommended keeping anti-virus software up to date and turning on pop-up blockers.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Center is also investigating the complaints, the CBC said.

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.