Telephone fraud crackdown
Law enforcement agencies in the U.S., Canada and Europe are coordinating the largest crackdown on telephone fraud ever.
The sweep targets the type of telephone fraud CTV has told you about many times -- advance free loans, supposedly free prize promotions that aren't free and questionable investment schemes.
Today, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission launched a court action against 13 companies encompassing over 180 complaints. The move has temporarily frozen many of those companies' assets and effectively shut them down.
According to the FTC, more than 500,000 consumers -- many of them seniors -- lost more than $100 million. The commission estimates that consumers will save approximately $30 million over the next year because of the crackdown.
Canada's Competition Bureau and B.C.'s Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority were also involved in this crackdown. Officials say today's actions show the benefit of various information sharing protocols with the U.S.
Protocols are needed because scammers rarely victimize anyone in their host country, officials say. For example, many con artists set up base in Canada to prey on Americans, while others may set up a base in Europe to victimize Canadians -- and vice versa.
Dream vacation turned nightmare
Yesenia Monge's was excited to send her 13-year-old son Anthony on a trip to visit relatives in Montreal this past Christmas.
Then her son was turned away by the airline at the airport.
Monge said her travel agent told her a birth certification would meet the necessary requirements of Sunwing Airlines, but at the airport, they were told otherwise.
"We were first in line," she said.
Monge says Sunwing Airlines insisted Anthony show two pieces of government-issued ID, according to what the company called "Identity Screening Regulations."
Last September, three months before Anthony's flight, Transport Canada issued an exemption for those aged 12 to 17. They no longer needed any identification at all.
As a result, Anthony missed his flight and his mom asked for a refund. She couldn't afford to lose $400.
"I have four kids and I'm a single mom," she explained.
But after several calls, emails, letters and faxes, even the travel agent was getting nowhere.
"We have held the initial rule where we are still asking for two pieces of ID," said Sunwing Airline's Gerry Roussin.
That was the airline's position, even though its website refers people to the government's Passenger Protection Program website, which says no identification is required.
"Our priority is to ensure that our customers are indeed safe," Roussin said. "So if anything, we will continue to go to the far end of the spectrum as far as asking for identification."
The airline softened its stand when CTV Consumer Reporter Chris Olsen pointed out the federal government had changed the rules.
"It took five months for me to get my money back," said a happy Monge. "Thanks to Olsen on Your Side, I got my money back."
Airline rules can be confusing at the best of times. If you are ever uncertain -- get it in writing.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen
