By Matthew McCully
A Sherbrooke resident recently received a letter from the federal government saying her household had been chosen to participate in the International Study of Adults, a pilot project conducted by Statistics Canada.
The letter said the resident would be compensated to the tune of $50, and that an interviewer from Statistics Canada would either call or stop by the home in the coming weeks.
Like every other skeptical person these days, the woman immediately saw red flags, so she called the Sherbrooke Police Service, which referred her to an anti-fraud number.
She was told yes, this is most likely a scam, ignore the letter and hang up the phone if anyone calls.
Wanting to make sure, the Sherbrooke woman put in a call to Compton-Stanstead MP Marie-Claude Bibeau’s office and when she described what she had received, the person on the phone agreed it was most likely a scam.
Well, according to Christina Philbrick, Assistant Director of Statistics Canada, Eastern Sector, it’s not a scam.