Scams are everywhere. In our season finale, we're fighting back: CBC's Marketplace cheat sheet
Consumer and health news you need from the week
Miss something this week? Don't panic. CBC's Marketplace rounds up the consumer and health news you need.
Want this in your inbox? Get the Marketplace newsletter every Friday.
Marketplace joined forces with world-renowned scambusters to create our own fraud-fighting call centre
It can often seem as if phone and online scammers are beyond accountability. Often operating from abroad, where illegal activity is either tolerated or ignored, the organized criminal groups behind the scams that annoy and frustrate so many of us have also reaped billions in stolen gains from some of society's most vulnerable.
But there is a small army of good guys fighting back.
Three of the world's most popular "scambusters" — who have a combined following of more than 10 million across their social media platforms — joined forces with CBC's Marketplace to create a fraud-fighting centre, using their unique skills to infiltrate criminal networks overseas, reroute 62 active scam call centres back to their operation and intercept fraudulent calls to stop scammers from accessing money from Canadian victims. Read more
Her grandson's voice said he was under arrest. This senior was almost scammed with suspected AI voice cloning
The voice was convincing.
The caller identified himself as police, but then another voice came on the line.
"He goes, 'Hi Grandma. Yeah, I got in trouble here. The police say they need some money to release me or they're going to keep me in jail,'" Kevin Crawford recalled.
His mother, Marilyn, had just been awakened by the call. And the Ontario senior was certain it was her grandson, Ian, on the phone.
She was told he'd been arrested for stealing a car and that he needed $9,000 sent to police for his release.
Only, it wasn't Ian. It was a scam phone call so convincing that Kevin and Marilyn wonder if fraudsters used artificial intelligence to clone Ian's voice.
And Marilyn says that even though the voice sounded slightly different, it convinced her enough that she agreed to pay up.
"I was anxious to get the money out; I'd do anything for my grandchildren," she said of the conversation that took place in 2021.
It's known broadly as the "emergency" or "grandparent" scam: the caller claims to be the victim's grandchild and says they are in the middle of a crisis, usually saying that a crime has been committed — and they need money. They instruct the person on the phone to tell no one.
And it's been a successful ploy; Canadians reported losing nearly $3 million to this scam in 2024, according to figures from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Read more
- You can watch the full, one-hour season finale, "Scam Stoppers: The Ultimate Showdown," on YouTube and CBC Gem.
Hudson's Bay hopes to save 6 stores, which could protect some of its 9,364 jobs
After a week spent seeking a lifeline, Hudson's Bay says it has found a way to keep a half-dozen stores open — for now.
Canada's oldest company is back in court today to seek permission from an Ontario judge to liquidate all but six stores starting Monday.
The six stores Hudson's Bay wants to save from the liquidation sale include its flagship location on Yonge Street in Toronto, as well as a store in the city's Yorkdale Mall and another farther north in Hillcrest Mall in Richmond Hill, Ont. The remaining three are in Montreal, the Carrefour Laval mall and Pointe-Claire, Que.
The six stores only have until April 4, otherwise they will be added to the liquidation.
The company did not say how deep the discounts at the remaining stores will be during the liquidation period, which would run until June 15. It is promising to vacate those locations by June 30.
The move stands to save some of the 9,364 jobs that could be lost if the company liquidated all of its stores, which was the plan until Hudson's Bay said Friday that sales had exceeded its expectations, allowing it to keep six locations alive.
"If a solution can be found, there is an opportunity to pull additional stores out of the liquidation. But if a restructuring solution is not found very quickly, [the six] will be added to the liquidation sale," Hudson's Bay lawyer Ashley Taylor said in court on Friday.
The proposal marks a glimmer of hope for the company, which filed for creditor protection on March 7. The filing showed the company was facing significant financial challenges and was desperately in need of cash to keep making even basic payments that sustain the business. Read more
'Buy Canadian' Reddit post becomes secret ingredient to help save Ontario condiment business
It seems that the secret ingredient to help save Shenul Williams's small Pickering, Ont., condiment business was a healthy dash of Canadian patriotism.
With sales down, and fears that she may have to close shop, she says a posting on a "Buy Canadian" Reddit thread has significantly boosted her orders.
"I'm really blown away with the love and support from Canadians through these uncertain times," said an emotional Williams in an interview with CBC News. "I was worried that I was going to lose my business."
Williams owns and operates Aki's Fine Foods, which manufactures and sells Indo-African condiments including pickles, chutneys and barbecue marinades. She took over the business from her parents more than 30 years ago, and has expanded it to a point where her products are featured in stores across Canada, including some of the larger grocery chains.
Aki's has had its ups and downs, but it was hit particularly hard by COVID-19 after many grocers and restaurants that stocked her products went out of business.
These past few months have been particularly dire, she said. However, earlier this week, her daughter, Aliza Welch, decided to post about her mom's business on a "Buy Canadian" thread on Reddit. Read more
What else is going on?
Grandparent scams steal millions from seniors. Organized crime made Montreal a hotbed for them
Scam networks using call centres to target seniors have reappeared in Montreal recently.
Is Tim Hortons Canadian?
Patriotic fervour amid Trump's tariff and annexation threats has stoked debate online.
Alleged grandparent scammers lived in luxury. Their victims lost their savings and peace of mind
Victims live with the impact of the scams for the rest of their lives, judge says.
Marketplace needs your help!
Do you have questions about questionable "Product of Canada" claims? Take a pic and tell us what we should investigate: marketplace@cbc.ca
Mind Your Business is your weekly look at what's happening in the worlds of economics, business and finance. Subscribe now.
Catch up on past episodes of Marketplace on CBC Gem.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
