Investment scheme falsely linked to Canadian government
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on February 3, 2023 at 18:45
- 2 min read
- By AFP Canada
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"Now every Canadian has a unique opportunity to earn from $15,000 per month with minimal investment! You do not have to do much, just register on the website of the Canadian Partnership project and wait for the call from the support center," says a January 21, 2023 Facebook post.
Facebook pages based in Toronto shared nearly identical posts. Some link to a survey website that asks users to disclose their monthly income, phone number and email address to learn more about the offer.
AFP searched for "Canadian Partnership" in the CSA's national registration database and did not find any record of a company with that name.
The CSA warns against engaging with "unsolicited investment offers made online, on social media or over the phone." The agency also advises investors to consult with independent financial experts before pursuing an offer.
AFP queried the CSA and the Ontario Securities Commission about the supposed program, but responses were not forthcoming.
False claims in video
The posts include a video with text that says: "The Canadian government has released a platform to support citizens." The clip claims the government backs an effort to "equalize incomes across provinces."
But there is no such investment program. Equalization refers to how the federal government addresses fiscal disparities between provinces, not individuals.
The video also depicts Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, claiming he spoke about the "Canadian Partnership" program. But the clip is from an unrelated interview.
A reverse image search indicates the footage is from November 30, 2022, when Trudeau spoke at the Reuters NEXT conference. The full interview shows Trudeau was responding to a question about Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy.
Fake CBC article
Some of the posts link to a website with a supposed article from Elizabeth Thompson of CBC News.
"Up to 15,000C$ through a single investment in the development of Canada," the purported headline says.
But both Thompson and the CBC said they did not produce the story.
"We can confirm this is not CBC's website and as such, we did not publish this article," said spokesman Chuck Thompson.
Elizabeth Thompson directed AFP to her author profile on CBC's website.
"You'll see that my photo is different and I did not file a story on that day," she said via email.
AFP has previously fact-checked other fraudulent offers targeting Canadians on Facebook.
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