Consumer Alert

Ontario businessman loses $38K in cheque-cashing scam

An Ontario businessman says he has to pay about $38,000 after he was the victim of a cheque-cashing scam and failed to immediately report the fraudulent activity to his bank.

Ontario woman issues warning about scam involving fake Service Canada employee that cost her $50K

An Ontario woman is warning others after a fraudster impersonating a Service Canada employee convinced her to empty out $50,000 from her bank account.

Small recruiting agencies worry new Ontario rules could put them out of business

New legislation has some smaller recruiting firms in Ontario concerned they could be driven out of business. smaller recruiting firms in Ontario concerned they could be driven out of business.

Ontario woman seeking part-time work 'living in a nightmare' after losing $395,000 to job scam

An Ontario woman looking for a part-time job is devastated after losing hundreds of thousands of dollars to an employment scam.

Expert tips to get your laundry clean: Consumer Reports

Many laundry hacks shared online are promising cleaner clothes, but some of these tips and tricks could actually ruin your clothes or wreck your washer and dryer.

Family loses $7K Europe trip due to passport issues

A Canadian family was 'devastated' to miss a trip to Europe and lose more than $7,000 last month because of a passport problem.

Ontario woman has 'no idea' why 1,000 condoms were shipped to her house

A woman from northern Ontario was surprised to find an Amazon box containing more than 1,000 Trojan condoms had been delivered to her home.

'Trudeau said that he invested in the same thing:' How a deepfake video cost an Ontario man $11K US

An Ontario man who was persuaded to invest $11,000 USD in a platform after seeing a video of what appeared to be Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Elon Musk endorsing the platform said he was shocked to find it was all a scam — and that the video had been a deepfake.

Owning a car in Canada is getting more expensive. A new survey reveals how much it's costing you

Owning a car is more of a luxury for most these days as the price tags of vehicles and associated costs have soared. Here's how much it's costing you, according to a new survey.

Pat Foran

Pat Foran is an award-winning videojournalist with CTV News Toronto and the host of the station’s popular feature segment “Consumer Alert”.

In this role, Foran has helped consumers recover millions of dollars, exposed scams, warned about unsafe products, and passed on countless money saving tips to the public. The thousands of phone calls, e-mails, and letters he receives prove there is an intense public interest in solid, trustworthy consumer information.

Prior to his role as CTV Toronto’s consumer advocate, Foran worked as a reporter for three different CTV affiliates, beginning in 1986.

Foran is also the author of four national bestselling books on consumer and financial issues. His latest, The Smart, Savvy Young Consumer, is designed to help young Canadians spend and save wisely.

Have a story tip for Pat? Email alert@ctv.ca