This is a nearly 40% increase from the unprecedented $380 million in losses reported in 2021. Unfortunately, the increase in financial losses has not coincided with an increase in reports. The CAFC estimates that only 5 to 10 percent of people report fraud.

In fact, the residents of Drummondville, as well as all citizens of the province and the rest of Canada, have fallen prey to scammers and thieves who now appear in a boundless playground, far out of sight, looking for prey, young and old from all walks of life. Among other things, as the newspaper Vingt55 reported several times, one Drummondvilloise dearly paid for her passion for the hero of the film Pirate of the Caribbean and star of American cinema Johnny Depp, having paid several thousand dollars to achieve Hollywood fame at home in Drummondville. The “Grandparents” scam, one of the well-known fraud schemes to extort emergency money from vulnerable people, which has also caused many victims in Drummondville or even gave away supposed cats, dogs or birds, thousands of dollars were stolen in Drummondville from various networks of scammers.

Scammers are not lacking in ingenuity to extract large sums of money from you for a few dollars or a few hundred dollars for others, financial losses that are difficult to recoup.

Technology has completely transformed crime, making fraud more accessible, more widespread and more sophisticated than ever.

The CAFC, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Competition Bureau join forces again in March to celebrate the 19th^e Fraud Prevention Month edition. Under the topic “The tricks of the scammers: how to foil their machinations?” Campaign will uncover scammers’ tricks, tools and tactics to help Canadians build their own toolkit to protect themselves.

law enforcement agencies and Members of the Fraud Prevention Forum collaborate strategically and devote resources to preventing and combating fraud, but Canadian consumers and businesses also play an important role in preventing fraudsters. Awareness is the best defense against fraud and fraud.

Join the discussion in March using the hashtag #MPF2023 to find and share information on detecting, fighting and reporting fraud. Follow us on social media and spread the word:

CAFC Twitter And Facebook

RCMP Twitter And Facebook

competition office Twitter And Facebook

If you have been, or know someone who has been, the victim of fraud, report it to your local police station and to the CAFC on-line or at 1-888-495-8501 (toll free). Even if no financial damage has occurred, report it to the CAFC. If you have information about misleading marketing practices, report it competition office. Your reports are essential to spotting links, catching criminals, and preventing further victims.

In 2022, the CAF received a total of 70,878 reports and 37,047 of those reports were from victims of Mass Marketing Fraud. In addition, the CAFC received 19,560 reports from victims of identity fraud.

The top three types of scams reported over the past year were phishing, extortion and personal data, all scams designed to trick you into paying or revealing sensitive information like your social security number, passwords or bank details.

The three most common scams that have caused the most losses to victims are fraudulent investment offers, more specifically cryptocurrency scams, dating schemes and spear phishing.

The CAFC is administered jointly by the RCMP, the Competition Bureau and the Ontario Provincial Police.

Due to the intersection of fraud and cybercrime, the CAFC works closely with the National Cybercrime Coordination Center (CNC3) of the RCMP.

CAFC and CNC3 are currently working together to: a new national cybercrime and fraud reporting system. The system is in BETA mode and once fully operational in 2024-2024 will facilitate public reporting of cybercrime and fraud incidents for operational and user-friendly purposes.

“We continue to see an increase in fraud-related financial losses and our duty to protect one another is becoming ever more important. Scammers use sophisticated methods to bully Canadians based on basic tricks too. During Fraud Prevention Month, I invite everyone to take the time to learn how to recognize the signs of fraud or scams, how to report them, and share the information with others. Just talking to a loved one can prevent them from becoming a victim of a scam. By working together, we can prevent these crimes. » – Chris Lynam, Director General, CAFC and RCMP CNC3

“Scammers have developed sophisticated new tricks and tools to take advantage of Canadians in the digital economy. This Fraud Prevention Month, the Competition Bureau will help Canadians identify, combat and report fraudulent online marketing practices used by scammers to victimize and commit fraud. » – Matthew Boswell, Competition Commissioner