Alberta Securities Commission releases Kajillionaire game
By Adnews Staff
The Calgary-based Alberta Securities Commission has released a board game called “Kajillionaire” intended to raise awareness of investment fraud. The game, timed to coincide with Fraud Prevention Month, is being promoted on the commission’s website at <http://www.checkfirst.ca>. The site also lists locations where the game can be found. Each player begins with $184,000 and must navigate a series of dubious financial offers such as affinity fraud, Ponzi schemes, pump-and-dump scams and fake celebrity endorsement scams in an effort to lose as little money as possible. The intend of the game is to educate players about the warning signs of financial fraud.
“Each year, the ASC leads a campaign during Fraud Prevention Month to educate Albertans about how to protect themselves from investment scams,” said Alison Trollope, director of communications and investor education at the ASC. “While our financial literacy efforts are year-round, we always heighten our focus in March to drive home the risks surrounding investment fraud and easy ways to protect yourself in a unique and memorable way. Kajillionaire, the board game at the centre of this year’s campaign, uses the resurgent interest in board games to educate Albertans on how to recognize potentially fraudulent investments and make wise investment decisions. Kajillionaire helps educate players on how important it is to ‘check first’ before investing. Checking registration, researching the investment and looking for the red flags of fraud are the best ways to determine if an investment opportunity is real before handing over your hard-earned money.”