On Sunday, March 4, Quebec securities regulators will launch a new consumer awareness campaign focusing on five key questions to help avoid financial ruin. The campaign is part of Fraud Prevention Month.
Messages on English-language radio, French-language television and on the web will encourage consumers to develop sound investment habits by asking themselves five key questions before investing their savings. For example: Is the person listed in the Autorité des marchés financiers register?
A website, 5bonnesquestions.ca, and an educational video are also part of this campaign.
The regulator notes that Quebec Ccnsumers who deal with financial advisors who are not registered with the AMF are taking a risk: The adviser is acting illegally and, in the event of a problem, the consumer will not be able to file a claim with the financial services compensation fund.
Each year, the AMF deals with a high number of cases of illegal practice affecting investors who have lost all or part of their savings. The AMF hopes that this campaign will prompt even more Quebeckers to adopt the right reflexes to protect themselves against fraud.