If it sounds too good to be true, it is! Not maybe. Not probably. Not just this one time. If it sounds too good to be true, it is! Period. Done. End of story. The reason for my timely reminder? March is Fraud Prevention Month in Canada . It's a time for all Canadians to ensure they are protected from the many con artists, fraudsters and other thieves who want to steal the money a million different ways. This month I will detail ways you can protect yourself from these slick criminals.

Protect yourself from con artists in Canada: Recognize It! Report It! Stop It!

Being smart is NOT enough to protect yourself against cunning scammers. Even the most intelligent consumers get conned out of their hard-earned cash. The fraudulent methods are almost too numerous to detail. The list includes identity thefts, various Internet scams, swindling psychics, affinity fraud, pyramid schemes, credit card cons, mortgage frauds, phishing spam, lottery rip-offs, fake roofers and pavers, white van speaker scam, bogus contests, telemarketing stings, unscrupulous moving practices, used car and various classified ad ploys.

To safeguard your identity, your finances and your life, knowledge is critical. You must discover and recognize when crooks are targeting you. So in this first article, we'll outline the most common swindles. Later in this month's series of stories, we will detail these frauds and deceptions so you can learn to avoid getting scammed.

Many great fraud-busting organizations and bureaucracies in Canada help Canadians protect themselves - Better Business Bureaus in all provinces, Phonebusters in Ontario, Canada's Office of Consumer Affairs as well as various provincial consumer protection agencies. Authorities are trying their best to stay ahead of the crooks, but they need you to learn the danger signs in order to protect your time and money.It's starts with knowledge. Here are the most frequent cons:

1. IDENTITY THEFTS IN CANADA

Canadian and international ID thieves use countless deceptive tricks to gain access to your personal information for deceitful purposes: rummaging through your garbage or recycling bins, requesting information to collect a sham prize, outright stealing your mail, placing bogus newspaper ads for jobs and sending unsolicited e-mails posing as your financial institution or service provider (phishing, spoofing or vishing).

2. OVERPAYMENT & FAKE ESCROW SCHEMES

Overpayment and fake escrow swindles: You innocently advertise an item on eBay or a rental in the classifieds. The would-be buyer contacts you to purchase your goods or services, or rent that apartment. However, the scammer ‘mistakenly' wires you too much money. They then simply ask you to deposit the cheque/money order, and return the excess funds back to the scammer or a third party. By the time the deposited payment is returned as counterfeit or stolen and charged back to the seller's account, the scammer has received the funds and the merchandise. Or they suggest you send the item while they deposit the funds in a fraudulent escrow account. Turns out you never get paid while the thieves walk away with your stuff. (For a hilarious story about a reverse scam on these online crooks, check out this great prank!)

3. DOOR-TO-DOOR SALES & WHITE VAN SPEAKER SCAMS

Door-to-Door Sales & White Van Speaker Scams: These con artists come to your door uninvited, offering to renovate your house, pave your driveway, fix your roof or sell you a product such as a vacuum cleaner. They take your money and leave you with an overpriced product, shoddy workmanship, or nothing at all. While there are legitimate companies still selling door-to-door, always be suspicious of any stranger before agreeing to purchase from any door-to-door salesperson or contractor.

4. UNSCRUPULOUS MOVING PRACTICES

Unscrupulous moving practices: Some moving companies have unethical practices that tarnish the whole industry. They charge hidden fees or provide the lowest estimate and then, at delivery, charge you more while holding your goods hostage in storage until you pay the higher bill. Horrible!

5. MISLEADING PRIZE OFFERS

Misleading prize offers: It can start quite innocently. Fill out a contest ballot or answer a telephone survey may add you to a "suckers list." Shortly after completing the survey, you may be contacted by someone claiming you have won a free vacation or some other terrific prize. But there is always a catch - in order to collect your prize you must pay a fee, attend a high-pressure timeshare seminar or listen to a vacuum cleaner sales presentation. In most cases, you will be responsible for either the travel or accommodation portion of the offer or you'll find the prize isn't really a prize at all.

6. LOTTERY & SWEEPSTAKE FRAUD

Lotteries & Sweepstakes Frauds: Woohoo! You just received notification that you are one of the "lucky" cash prizewinners. All you have to do to collect your winnings is complete a form with your personal information and send a processing fee plus shipping and handling. Sound familiar? Canadians continue to be bombarded with lottery and sweepstakes scams, all promising huge winnings - always with a catch.

7. BOGUS HEALTH, WELLNESS OR PSYCHIC CLAIMS

Bogus Health & Wellness Claims and Psychic Fraud: Fraudulent health treatment claims are a growing concern in the marketplace. They target the most vulnerable consumers such as the overweight and the ill. Beware of too-good-to-be-true advertisements promising "rapid" and "effortless" weight-loss or "miracle cures" and "newly discovered" treatments for disease and illness. Psychics also often prey on the sick or lonely, but suggesting you have been cursed. All these scams are designed to steal your money and worse may put your health at risk if proper medical treatment is delayed.

8. UNSCRUPULOUS USED VEHICLE SALES TRICKS

Unscrupulous Used Vehicle Sales Tricks: Used cars are sold legitimately all the time. However, too many are sold using false promises by unscrupulous salespeople to entice consumers to purchase ‘lemons.' These often-unroadworthy vehicles might be automobiles written off by insurance companies but then repaired cosmetically for resale. Other times, the odometers might be rolled back. Consumer complaints usually include verbal misrepresentation of the condition of the vehicle, non-disclosure of previous damage, and claims against the vehicle.

9. WORK-AT-HOME SCAMS/BOGUS EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

Work-at-Home Scams and Bogus Employment Services: The classified advertisement reads: "Earn money from the comfort of your home stuffing envelopes, assembling products, or completing surveys." These work-at-home schemes all have one thing in common: you must pay a fee in order to earn it. In a recent twist, respondents to a "mystery shopping" advertisement were sent a cheque and told to use this as payment for services rendered. They are then told to "shop" the money transfer service of a specific well-known company and complete a survey on their experience. After cashing the cheque and transferring the funds, the victims learn that the cheque has bounced or is counterfeit and they are out the funds they transferred.

10. UNWANTED OFFICE SUPPLIES OR BOGUS DIRECTORY ADVERTISING SCAMS

Unwanted Office Suppy and Bogus Directory Advertising Scams: Even businesses get hit by scam artists. In these scams, one of your employees is misled into purchasing unwanted office supplies or advertising at exorbitant prices. Usually, this scam has three parts - a set-up call, in which the company is contacted for key information about the office equipment it uses or the person to address, followed by an invoice or the unwanted product addressed to that key individual. Lastly, a collection notification is sent which is designed to pressure your company into paying for what was never wanted or needed.

Next article will focus on the many faces of identity thieves in Canada, and ways you can protect yourself.