News Release

Vancouver – In support of Fraud Prevention Month, the British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) Chair and CEO Brenda Leong today announced the results of research commissioned by the BCSC into the fraud vulnerability of older British Columbians. The research, conducted by Innovative Research Group, surveyed 800 British Columbians aged 50 and over. Leong announced the results during a speech that also included an interactive event called “Fraudster Comes Alive.”

“Our survey results show that what investors think, feel, and do matters when it comes to investment fraud vulnerability ,” said Leong. “This means thinking about investments the right way, feeling confident and financially secure, and taking steps to avoid risky situations.”

Key findings from the survey include:

• One-in-eight British Columbians over 50 are vulnerable to investment fraud. When presented with an investment opportunity that guaranteed 14% to 25% monthly and no risk, 10% said they would either look into it further and 3% said they simply didn’t know, suggesting they are not sure enough to reject the offer.
• Nearly two-in-five British Columbians over 50 (37%) are afraid of running out of money during retirement. This proportion is significantly higher among those vulnerable to fraud (49%) and those who have been past victims of fraud (47%). It is also higher among those with no savings (51%) and women under 65 (51%).
• Only 44% of respondents have a reasonable expectation of annual returns on investments. When asked about annual rates of return, less than half of the respondents expected a rate of return of less than 6% (The five-year average nominal return between 2010 and 2014 on a portfolio containing three common investment types – three-month Treasury bills, Canadian bonds, and Canadian equities – was 5.98%).

“The BCSC sees the damage caused by fraud up close. Our Be Fraud Aware campaign is designed to raise awareness and empower the public to recognize, reject and report investment fraud,” said Leong. “Our survey offers new insights into three significant factors that continue to make older British Columbians vulnerable.” 

The BCSC is the only securities regulator in Canada with an investor education program that supports its Enforcement program. BeFraudAware, the award-winning investor education program launched by the BCSC in 2011, is an online, television, radio and print campaign that educates British Columbians on the dangers of investment fraud. The objective of the campaign is to increase high value tips from the public about known or suspected investment frauds, and encourage early reporting so the Enforcement division can disrupt misconduct that could harm investors. 

Since 2011, BeFraudAware has focused on three communities: English speaking, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese speaking), and South Asian (Punjabi speaking). During this time, awareness of the warning signs of investment fraud is up considerably in all three groups.
 
A random probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error of +/-3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The estimated margin of error will be larger within each sub-grouping of the sample.

About the British Columbia Securities Commission (www.bcsc.bc.ca)

The British Columbia Securities Commission is the independent provincial government agency responsible for regulating capital markets in British Columbia through the administration of the Securities Act. Our mission is to protect and promote the public interest by fostering:

• A securities market that is fair and warrants public confidence
• A dynamic and competitive securities industry that provides investment opportunities and access to capital

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Media Contact:
Richard Gilhooley, Media Relations
604-899-6713

Public inquiries:
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Learn how to protect yourself and become a more informed investor at www.investright.org