In the past decade, incidents of fraud have risen sharply across Canada, but in that same time, the proportion of cases solved by law enforcement has reached a 20-year low, leaving tens of thousands of victims and millions of dollars in losses unresolved. Statistics Canada data show that 150,000 cases of fraud were reported to police in 2022, the highest-ever in the available data and nearly double the 79,000 cases reported in 2012. Read full story here: Fraudsters are getting better at what they do, and it’s costing Canadians billions…
Read MoreWhy several big-box stores have ditched their self-checkouts | CBC News
After Dwayne Ouelette took over the Canadian Tire in North Bay, Ont., last year, he decided to buck the trend and ditch the store’s four self-checkout machines — which had been there for a decade. “I’m not comfortable using them and I don’t think some of my customers are comfortable [either],” said Ouelette, who removed the machines in July and replaced them with cashiers. “I’d rather my customers see my cashiers and if there’s any questions or concerns, at least there’s somebody they can talk to.” Read full story here: Why…
Read MoreDodgy Toonies from Quanzhou: How CBSA says it nabbed man with 26,630 fake $2 coins from China | Global News
When the package from far away China landed at a FedEx warehouse at the sprawling Montreal-Mirabel International Airport in early January, Canada Border Services Agency officer Caroline Landry took a quick but careful look at the shipping label. The customs paperwork accompanying the package declared it contained 10,000 “metal badges” from a clothing company in Quanzhou, the CBSA says. Read full story here: Dodgy Toonies from Quanzhou: How CBSA says it nabbed man with 26,630 fake $2 coins from China | Global Newshttps://globalnews.ca/news/10082240/counterfeit-toonies-coins-china-quebecer-arrested/
Read MoreCurrent and former public service, RCMP, military members affected by data breach, federal government warns | CTV News
The federal government is warning current and former public service employees and members of the RCMP and Canadian Armed Forces their personal and financial information may have been accessed in a data breach that occurred on Oct. 19. The breach affects federal government data held by Brookfield Global Relocation Services (BGRS) and SIRVA Worldwide Relocation & Moving Services — two companies that provide relocation support for employees. Read full story here: Current and former public service, RCMP, military members affected by data breach, federal government warns | CTV News
Read MoreGo Ahead, Snooze Your Alarm. New Study Says It Actually Isn’t That Bad | CNET
We’ve all been tempted by the snooze button once or twice, especially when we want to steal a few more moments of precious sleep. A 2022 study by Notre Dame found that 57% of adults regularly snooze their alarms. If you’re also a habitual snoozer, have you ever considered if this habit is detrimental to your health? New research into the impact of snoozing challenges conventional wisdom, suggesting that it might not be that bad after all. Read full story here: Go Ahead, Snooze Your Alarm. New Study Says It…
Read MoreCanadians continue to choose terrible passwords. Does yours make the list? | Global News
It’s no secret that 2023 is going down as a bit of a dumpster fire, so is it any surprise that people are still using garbage passwords? Despite being told time and time again that we should all be using stronger, more creative passwords to protect our online information and data, many Canadians are still using the weakest passwords possible, new research shows. Password manager NordPass has discovered that of the 200 most common passwords used worldwide this year, about 70 per cent can be cracked in under a second.…
Read MoreData broker’s “staggering” sale of sensitive info exposed in unsealed FTC filing | Ars Technica
One of the world’s largest mobile data brokers, Kochava, has lost its battle to stop the Federal Trade Commission from revealing what the FTC has alleged is a disturbing, widespread pattern of unfair use and sale of sensitive data without consent from hundreds of millions of people. US District Judge B. Lynn Winmill recently unsealed a court filing, an amended complaint that perhaps contains the most evidence yet gathered by the FTC in its long-standing mission to crack down on data brokers allegedly “substantially” harming consumers by invading their privacy.…
Read MoreNova Scotia Power wants customers to foot leftover $25M Fiona bill | CBC News
Post-tropical storm Fiona may be in the rear-view mirror but it’s still on the front burner for Nova Scotia Power. The company is stuck with a $24.6-million bill that it says is threatening its profits. This week Nova Scotia Power asked regulators for permission to collect $24.6 million in Fiona-related operating costs — like meals, travel and overtime — from ratepayers over an unspecified period of time. It is the first time the company has asked the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (UARB) to defer so-called operating, maintenance and…
Read MorePosthaste: The Canadian dollar is getting hammered — and its future looks even bleaker | Financial Post
So what’s up with the Canadian dollar? While many thought the currency would strengthen in 2023, the loonie has slid to depths not seen since the height of the pandemic. (This morning it was trading near a 6-month low of 72.43 US cents) A big part of this mystery is that the drivers of the currency have changed. When a hawkish Bank of Canada was raising interest rates it supported the loonie, but now that the slowing economy has reduced the risk of more hikes, new drivers are taking over.…
Read MoreWindows 11’s huge 2023 Update is available now: Here’s what’s new | PCWorld
Mere days after Microsoft released the Moment 4 Update for Windows 11 users, adding numerous new features and improvements to Windows 11 version 22H2, the company also unleashed the huge annual Windows 11 2023 Update (also known as Windows 11 version 23H2). “Because Windows 11, version 23H2 shares the same code base and servicing branch as Windows 11, version 22H2, this feature update will be delivered via Windows Update (as with the monthly update process) to enable a quick installation,” Microsoft explains. Read full story here: Windows 11’s huge 2023…
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