Fraud expert warns about telephone 'surveys'

A new scam has a supervisor with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre issuing a warning to consumers in northwestern Ontario.

Some people in Thunder Bay have been receiving calls asking them to answer a brief survey and, when they're called back, they're told they've won a prize for taking part.

Daniel Williams said it's all a ploy.

"The bottom line is, they want to have a salesperson in your door," he said. "The offer of prizes is something we almost never see fulfilled."

Williams said legitimate companies doing phone surveys will identify who they are and consumers can check their websites.

"If you have doubts, give us a call," he said. "We've seen most of it and if it's been around even a couple of weeks, we should have seen it already.

Williams said looking "into any kind of offer before you commit to money or even time," is time well spent.

He added that some surveys are intended to find out if people own a home or if people are receptive to a sales pitch for a vacuum cleaner. The only real prizes people collect are usually trinkets like steak knives from a dollar store, Williams said.