The BPCPA has been working closely with the FBI, as well as the RCMP, the
Competition Bureau Canada, and the US Federal Trade Commission in Project Emptor,
a task force which investigates fraudulent BC-based telemarketers. Most scams
investigated by the task force targeted elderly people living in the U.S.
Recently, the BPCPA participated in the seizing of assets from deceptive telemarketing
companies which resulted in the restitution of over $1.9 million in compensation to
consumers that were defrauded.

Fraudulent telemarketing is a growing problem with cross-border implications from
telemarketers in Canada defrauding consumers in the United States, Australia, the UK
and other countries. It is estimated that consumers lose in excess of a billion dollars a
year to fraudulent telemarketing scams based in British Columbia. The types of
fraudulent activities include bogus lottery prize scams, savings bond sales and credit
card protection schemes.

The provincial government is currently developing new licensing regulations for
telemarketers to further reduce the risk of fraud.

The BPCPA, through groups such as Project Emptor, is committed to ensuring that
those who are involved in fraudulent activities do not prey on unsuspecting consumers
across borders and do not profit from their activities.