Con men, swindlers, snake-oil salesmen, carpetbaggers, and plain everyday liars and cheats - these names and the scoundrels behind them have been around for hundreds of years, though their dodges and deceptions have been refined with the passage of time.

The worldwide growth of criminal fraud has mushroomed to such a degree that traditional law-enforcement techniques have been unable to cope effectively with the fallout. Criminal fraud is a billion-dollar industry and has become a staple of organized crime rivalling drugs and prostitution as major sources of income. In North America the courts and governments fail to treat these crimes with the seriousness they deserve, often placing the blame on victims, or at the very least making them culpable.

Former Calgary police detective and fraud expert Gordon Leek illustrates how a variety of frauds work and how to protect yourself from them, including simple cheque scams, elaborate telemarketing schemes, Internet swindles, and identity theft.

Gordon G. Leek was a member of the Calgary Police Service for more than 25 years. In 1987 he was seconded to the Calgary Police/Royal Canadian Mounted Police Joint Forces where he developed and wrote the security handbook used by police officers and security volunteers at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. With the Commercial Crime Unit he served as the primary investigator and liaison for the Calgary Police Service with the Alberta Partnership Against Cross-Border Fraud. He lives in Calgary.

Gordon G. Leek's profile page

This book covers things that every business person and consumer must know.

M. Kotris