GREY MATTERS | PULL-OUT SUPPLEMENT
June 2012 | S5
Accountants can play role of ‘gatekeepers’
Online
Continued From Page S3
information about recognizing,
avoiding and reporting invest-
ment scams found online.
During the 10-week cam-
paign that ended in early Febru-
ary, the BlueHedge website
received almost 18,000 visits
from across Canada, 71 per cent
of them via online ads, many of
which were featured on popular
search engine sites. As well,
regulators found that more than
10 per cent of those who received
unsolicited e-mails from Blue-
Hedge opened the e-mails, and
of those, almost 13 per cent
clicked on the links provided.
RED FLAGS OF FINANCIAL ABUSE According to a fact sheet on financial abuse of seniors prepared by the federal government, the following red flags indicate that a senior may be in trouble:
Sudden unexplained
changes in bank account
or banking practices,
including unauthorized
ATM withdrawals.
Unauthorized attempts
to add names to a senior’s
bank signature card.
Sudden interest in
the senior’s financial
affairs without his or
her knowledge.
Sudden unexplained
changes to a will or other
financial documents.
Sudden drop in cash
flow or financial holdings,
including a transfer of
assets without the direct
involvement of the senior.
Suspicious-looking
signatures on cheques
and documents.
“Knowledgeable and efficient”
- Burlington entrepreneur
CRACKING DOWN
ON CRIMES
AGAINST SENIORS
“Fantastic work”
- Toronto personal injury lawyer
New federal legislation is
en route to help ensure
that sentencing for crimes
against elderly Canadians
takes into account the
significant impact that
crime has on their lives.
Translation: tougher
sentences. Under the
proposed amendment to
the Criminal Code,
evidence that an offence
had a significant impact on
the victims because of
their age and financial
situation would be
considered an aggravating
factor for sentencing.
Quali;ed experts in:
> Valuation reports
> Earnings assessments
> Personal injury reports
> IRB reports
Contact:
Brad Borkwood, CA•CBV
brad@bluepointvaluations.com
905.315.6844
bluepointvaluations.com
