Latest news with #StopScammingSeniorsAct
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poilievre promises crackdown on scams, knocks Carney
-- Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre unveiled a sweeping anti-fraud and public safety plan Tuesday, pledging to crack down on telephone and online scams targeting seniors. Framing the upcoming federal election as a 'change' moment, he cast the Liberals' three terms in office as a period of rising crime and inaction. Speaking in Montreal, Poilievre said his government would introduce a "Stop Scamming Seniors Act" to mandate real-time fraud detection by banks and telecoms. The plan would also create a 24-hour hold on high-risk transactions, impose public reporting requirements, and levy fines of up to $5 million per violation. 'Imagine your 80-year-old mother getting a call that sounds exactly like your voice, asking for bail money,' he said, citing AI-generated scams as an emerging threat. Canadian seniors reportedly lost over $137 million to scams in 2022, a figure that likely underrepresents total damages due to low reporting rates. The proposed law includes mandatory jail terms—up to five years for million-dollar frauds—along with financial penalties ten times the value of stolen funds. Poilievre also announced a new criminal offense: willful, blind profiteering from scams, targeting executives who knowingly allow fraud to continue. Beyond economic fraud, Poilievre reiterated promises of tougher criminal sentencing, including life sentences for human traffickers and a 'three strikes' law for repeat violent offenders. 'Repeat murderers will come out of prison in a box,' he said, vowing no parole for multiple homicide convictions. The Conservative leader sharply criticized Liberal-era justice reforms, including Bills C-5 and C-75, which he claims have enabled a surge in violent crime and repeat offenses. He singled out Liberal leadership contender Mark Carney, calling Carney's reported remarks on sentencing 'incendiary' and 'dangerous.' Poilievre linked increased scam activity and violent crime to what he has often coined a 'lost Liberal decade,' blaming high costs and lax enforcement for rising public insecurity. 'Canadian seniors cannot afford a fourth Liberal term of crime and chaos,' he said. The speech also included tax proposals aimed at older Canadians, including cutting income taxes for seniors by 15% and allowing up to $34,000 in annual income to be earned tax-free. 'The Canadian promise belongs most of all to our seniors,' Poilievre concluded. Additionally, Poilievre commented on a Nikkei report alleging that Honda (NYSE:HMC) is considering moving auto production from Canada to the U.S., blaming U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy. "President Trump deserves nothing but condemnation for the unfair targeting of Canada," he said. Related articles Poilievre promises crackdown on scams, knocks Carney Carney unveils training plan, tackles auto sector woes Carney announces BOREALIS to boost Canada's defense
CBC
15-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Poilievre outlines Conservative plan to stop scammers who target seniors
Pierre Poilievre, speaking from Montreal on Day 24 of the election campaign, announced that a Conservative government would pass a Stop Scamming Seniors Act, which he said would force banks and telecom companies to use the latest technology to catch scams before they happen.
CBC
15-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Poilievre pledges to protect seniors by forcing banks, telcos to crack down on scammers
Social Sharing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is promising to protect seniors by making it mandatory for financial institutions and phone companies to stop digital scammers in their tracks. The plan would require these companies to detect, report and block "suspected fraud in real time," or face the prospect of massive fines and/or being charged with a new crime under the Criminal Code. "We're going to pass the 'Stop Scamming Seniors Act,' a common-sense law that forces banks and telecom companies to deploy state of the art technology to catch scams and stop them before they happen," Poilievre said during a campaign stop in Montreal on Tuesday. A backgrounder explaining the proposed policy says seniors are the Number 1 target for digital scammers who use phishing texts, robocalls and other tricks to fleece the elderly of their life savings. "Meanwhile, the institutions best positioned to prevent these crimes — banks and telecom companies — are not legally required to act fast, transparently, or decisively," a statement from the party said. Under the plan, corporations would be required to employ the same AI tools they currently use to optimize their marketing and sales initiatives to track possible instances of fraud. Anyone caught committing an act of fraud over $5,000 would get a minimum jail sentence of one year. Those convicted of fraud over $100,000 would get a minimum sentence of three years, while those guilty of fraud over $1 million would be subject to a five-year minimum sentence. Under the Criminal Code today, people convicted of fraud over $5,000 do not face a minimum sentence but can be sentenced to prison for up to 14 years. Those convicted of fraud over $1 million currently face a minimum prison term of two years and a maximum of 14 years. Poilievre's plan also calls for convicted fraudsters to pay fines that amount to "ten times the amount defrauded." "We want to financially cripple the fraudsters to deter their greed," Poilievre said Tuesday. Fining and holding companies accountable The Conservative plan calls for the creation of a new Criminal Code offence called "wilful blind profiteering from fraud" that would target corporate executives "who ignore red flags and knowingly allow scam traffic or activity." Companies found to have wilfully neglected to implement scam-prevention efforts could face fines of up to $5 million per violation. Banks and telecom companies would be required to implement mandatory scam detection systems that are specially crafted to protect seniors over 65. Corporations would also have to create a "senior transaction shielding protocol" that would impose a 24-hour hold on high-risk transactions involving seniors' accounts. The Conservatives did not detail what qualifies as a "high-risk transaction." During the 24-hour delay "a verification call and fraud check must occur." Each company would be required to issue public quarterly reports detailing their fraud-prevention statistics including how many scams they blocked and customers they reimbursed. "Our seniors deserve to feel safe and secure when they pick up their phones, iPads or computers," Poilievre said Tuesday. "If you are a bank or telco, we want you to do everything you can to protect our beloved seniors who built this country."
