A new scam is making the rounds on the Sunshine Coast - this time trying to solicit businesses to buy first aid kits.
Small business owner Randy Sterloff received a perplexing phone call recently from a person representing a company called Canadian Safety Supplies.
The sales associate told Sterloff that as a business owner he needed to have a first-aid kit as per Canadian law. Sterloff explained to the woman he already had what he felt was a sufficient first-aid kit and didn't think he needed another. The woman told Sterloff the kit was free, but quickly retracted that statement and said it would cost $199.
"She was really slick," said Sterloff of the woman on the phone.
She then told Sterloff if he did not purchase the kit from their company he would be breaking Canadian law. The woman said a kit would be sent out the next day and Sterloff didn't have a choice in the matter.
The following day, Sterloff thought further about the legality of the call, and decided to call the Sunshine Coast Regional District.
"The regional district had already done a business site inspection, and I thought, wouldn't the kit have come up at that point?" he recalled. "The SCRD didn't know anything about it, so I decided to call the RCMP."
The RCMP then referred Sterloff to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (formerly known as Phonebusters), where he filed a claim.
About five days after the initial call, the woman from Canadian Safety Supplies called Sterloff again, informing him the price had drastically gone up on the kit.
"I probably should have asked her about the price, I just wasn't thinking, but I asked her where she was phoning from and I think she made a mistake, because she said New Jersey," he said.
Sterloff then asked, "Don't you think you're a little out of your jurisdiction?" and that's when the woman hung up.
When asked about this type of scam, Sunshine Coast RCMP Cpl. Don Newman described it as mass marketing. While a first aid-kit is required on business premises, it is illegal for any company to require you purchase a kit specifically from them, he said.
Newman advised that should a business owner or citizen receive this type of call, it is important to confirm with whom they are speaking, as well as safeguarding any personal information. Newman also emphasized the importance of maintaining control while on the phone.
"If you feel you are being pressured, you can always ask for a call back number or just end the call. Or if it's something you would like to look into to, research it, then call back," said Newman.
Sterloff is cautioning other small business owners on this type of marketing,
"You may not know the rules with small business. They [mass marketers] can suck in a lot of people," he said.
