December 15, 2004

W-FIVE Launches Its 39th Season With Shocking Police Footage How Canadians Lost $44 Million To Debit Card Fraud

Lloyd Robertson takes the helm of the longest-running current affairs program in North America

Is your money as safe as the banks would have you believe? Last year, Canadians lost millions through debit card fraud; the money was drained from 27,000 accounts by criminals and organized gangs. On Saturday, January 8 at 7 p.m. ET (check local listings), W-FIVE launches its 39th season. The in-depth and behind-the-scenes investigation looks at of one of the easiest and most lucrative forms of theft happening today. No one who uses a debit card is immune.  W-FIVE asks the question: Why won’t Canadian banks spend just a few dollars per card to make your money safe?

New this season, CTV News anchors Lloyd Robertson and Sandie Rinaldo will take on the responsibilities of hosting W-FIVE in addition to their roles anchoring Canada’s most-watched newscast, CTV News with Lloyd Robertson and CTV News with Sandie Rinaldo.

In Debit Card Fraud, W-FIVE tracks an organized crime group as they steal debit card information and millions of dollars from the personal bank accounts of unsuspecting Canadians. W-FIVE has obtained shocking surveillance videos of criminals caught in the act - installing equipment on ATM machines and double swiping debit cards in stores - showing just how easy it is to fall victim to this crime.

“These crooks are highly mobile and very skilled and they operate with chilling speed and accuracy,” said Tom Clark, who reports the story. “They can install the equipment and remove it again in just seconds – making them very hard to catch.”

Robert Osborne is Producer and Jeff Silverstein is Associate Producer of Debit Card Fraud.

In the second segment, W-FIVE explores the abuse of Oxycontin, a powerful prescription pain reliever that has become a hot new street drug that has resulted in a series of deaths across the country. Oxycontin gives abusers a “high” much like heroin and the consequences are devastating; it's addictive, expensive and when misused it can be lethal. Oxycontin has been under attack in the United States in recent years and very little has been known about the extent of the use and abuse here in Canada; some are calling it a hidden epidemic. Used to fight moderate to severe pain, many users are not street junkies, they’re average, middle class Canadians who are prescribed Oxycontin end up hooked - some eventually head to the street to feed their addiction. And as Victor Malarek shows in his report, getting Oxycontin on the streets is not as difficult as it might seem.
 
Deadly prescription is reported by Victor Malarek and produced by Marleen Trotter with David Bedard as Associate Producer.

This year, W-FIVE will be co-hosted by Lloyd Robertson and Sandie Rinaldo; the Gemini Award-winning show has entered its 39th season, and is the longest running current affairs program in North America. Airing in the same time slot as last year, Saturdays at 7 p.m. ET (check local listings), W-FIVE will deliver a full 16-episode slate. Malcolm Fox is Executive Producer and Anton Koschany is Senior Producer of W-FIVE.

CTV, Canada’s largest private broadcaster, offers a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming. It boasts the number-one national newscast, CTV News With Lloyd Robertson, and is the number-one choice for prime-time viewing. CTV owns 21 conventional television stations across Canada and has interests in 14 specialty channels, including the number-one Canadian specialty channel, TSN. CTV is owned by Bell Globemedia, Canada’s premier multi-media company. More information about CTV may be found on the company Web site at www.ctv.ca.

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For more information, contact:
Emily Young Lee, CTV Inc., 416-332-7367, eyounglee@ctv.ca

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