The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (formerly known as PhoneBusters National Call Centre) is Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

's national anti-fraud call centre and central fraud data repository. It was established in January 1993 in North Bay, Ontario

North Bay, Ontario

North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...

 and is jointly operated by the Ontario Provincial Police

Ontario Provincial Police

The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...

, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...

 and the Competition Bureau.

The original mandate of PhoneBusters was to prosecute key individuals in Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 and Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

 involved in telemarketing fraud

Telemarketing fraud

Telemarketing fraud is fraudulent selling conducted over the phone. It most often targets the poor and elderly. Common types include:*Advance fee fraud...

 under the Criminal Code of Canada

Criminal Code of Canada

The Criminal Code or Code criminel is a law that codifies most criminal offences and procedures in Canada. Its official long title is "An Act respecting the criminal law"...

. Its mandate now includes gathering intelligence and receiving complaints on Mass Marketing Fraud

Fraud

In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...

 (i.e. Nigerian Letter scam), identity theft

Identity theft

Identity theft is a form of stealing another person's identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person's identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person's name...

, deceptive marketing practices and telemarketing frauds. Once received, the center analyzes the data, disseminate victim evidence, statistics, documentation and prepare reports for other law enfrocement agencies in Canada and United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 to follow up. It also educates and provides awareness campaign on fraud prevention and telemarketing

Telemarketing

Telemarketing is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits prospective customers to buy products or services, either over the phone or through a subsequent face to face or Web conferencing appointment scheduled during the call.Telemarketing can also include recorded sales pitches...

pitches, particularly in March (Fraud Awareness Month) to prevent future victimization.