Latest news with #CanadianAntiFraudCentre
CBC
7 hours ago
- General
- CBC
Community engagement, education helping Strathcona County residents avoid crypto scams: RCMP
Strathcona County RCMP is reporting a large decrease in the money lost in the community from crypto scams compared to the year before. RCMP attributed this decline to its community engagement and education on crypto fraud. In a news release on Tuesday, police said between January and April in 2024, the reported loss to crypto-related scams in the county was almost $400,000. In the same period this year, the loss was around $240,000. RCMP members have visited local schools, seniors' groups, and community organizations to teach residents to recognize and report scams. These presentations have focused on identifying common crypto scams, like fake investment opportunities, romance scams, and fraudulent calls from scammers claiming to be law enforcement or government officials. Police said that legitimate government agencies will never request payment in the form of cryptocurrency. In the release, RCMP said that if someone has been targeted by a scam, they should report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or local police.
CBC
5 days ago
- General
- CBC
North Vancouver RCMP warn of scam targeting seniors
North Vancouver RCMP have noticed a recent spike in fraud targeting seniors. On May 15, 2025, police say an older woman was contacted by someone impersonating a financial institution fraud investigator. The woman was told that fraudulent purchases had been made on her account and that the chips on her cards had to be checked. She then handed them over to someone who visited her residence and claimed to be from her bank. She reported the incident to the police and her financial institution once she realized there were $23,000 in fraudulent charges on her account. "We continue to repeat our warnings, but we don't mind being a broken record. We need would-be targets to know how to recognize these scams," said Cpl. Mansoor Sahak of the North Vancouver RCMP in a news release. "We also need friends, family, neighbours, anyone who interacts with the elderly or those who are new to Canada to tell them about these scams, how to recognize them, and what to do if they are contacted by a scammer." The release says eight similar frauds have been reported in North Vancouver. Investigators have determined that the suspects may be travelling throughout the Lower Mainland, but the investigation is still active and ongoing. Tips to avoid scams Sahak said to remember that anyone can be a target and that fraudsters can be extremely convincing. Some tips provided by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to avoid being victimized: Don't be afraid to say no. Do your research to verify organizations are legitimate. Don't give out personal information such as your name, your address, your birthdate, your Social Insurance Number (SIN) or your credit card or banking information. Beware of upfront fees. Protect your computer. Be careful who you share images with. Protect your online accounts with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication. Recognize spoofing, which is used to mislead victims and convince them they are communicating with legitimate people, companies and organizations.
CTV News
7 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
St. Albert RCMP issue fraud warning after senior loses nearly $100K
An RCMP cruiser is seen in this file photo. RCMP are warning the public of a scam that saw a St. Albert senior lose nearly $100,000 over the last year. A statement from St. Albert RCMP said the victim believed they were sending money to an investment platform put on by the Liberal Party. The senior clicked on a fake AI generated 'Liberal Investment Ad' on Facebook and signed up for the investment scheme, police said. After signing up, the scammers would contact the victim through online messaging or by phone, asking for money transfers for the investment. Months later, family members became aware of the money transfers and realized it was a scam. St. Albert RCMP said they want to remind the public that fraud can happen to anyone. 'These fraudulent individuals are professional criminals, their online scams are elaborate, sophisticated and very convincing,' said the statement issued Wednesday, adding that investment fraud cost Canadians $310 million in 2024. Police encourage victims to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and for the public to report any suspicious or criminal activity to the local police or through Crime Stoppers.
CBC
26-05-2025
- CBC
Personal data stolen in N.S. Power breach? Here's how to protect yourself from fraud
A recent ransomware attack on Nova Scotia Power has affected over half of its customers, raising concerns about the potential for identity fraud. The utility confirmed that an unauthorized third party stole data from some 280,000 customers and that it has been published online. The data that was stolen could include customers' names, phone numbers, email addresses, mailing addresses, date of birth, account history, driver's licence numbers, social insurance numbers and bank account numbers. Jeff Horncastle, a client and communications outreach officer with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the RCMP, says it's the customer's responsibility to ensure they don't become a victim of identity fraud — and that can feel overwhelming. Horncastle shared tips with CBC Radio's Information Morning Nova Scotia on what customers should do to protect themselves going forward. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. How serious would you say this is for the average Nova Scotia Power customer who's affected? There's so many different ways where we can be a victim of identity theft that we really have to be careful and make sure that we're not victims of identity fraud at the end of the day. The difference between identity theft and identity fraud is that identity theft is when you're the victim of the breach, like in this case. Identity fraud is when your personal information is actually used to apply for credit with your name. The fraudsters may apply for credit cards, they may try to access their bank accounts, they may apply for cellphones. What you want to do is take one step at a time. It's our understanding that a lot of these companies [like Nova Scotia Power] provide credit monitoring with one credit reporting agency. It is very important to contact both Equifax and TransUnion to put a fraud alert on your file. What that does is that if anybody does apply for credit with your information, you'll get a phone call to ask if it was actually you that applied for the credit before it gets processed. Now, going down the list, you want to contact your financial institution, let them know that you've been part of a breach. Is there something that the bank can do? In a lot of cases, if you don't have multi-factor authentication on your accounts, then it may be something that you want to consider doing. That's something that each financial institution has the ability to do to protect your account. It's very important to contact your financial institutions and your credit card companies. If you have the two-factor authentication set up, should you be resting easy here or could you be a bit concerned about whether somehow that's been compromised as well? You shouldn't necessarily rest easy, no. You should still contact your financial institution and find out what you should be doing. Maybe change your passwords for your email address. Since all your accounts are linked to your email, you want to make sure that your email is at least protected. And if you're using the same password for all your accounts, make sure that you're using a unique password for every account. Of course you want to contact the CRA [Canada Revenue Agency] as well because we see that there could be false income taxes filed or fraudsters could be trying to apply for benefits through the CRA or Service Canada. We recommend that you contact both those agencies as well. Given that so much personal information is out there, how much can you trust a phone call that you may be getting from someone, including TransUnion or Equifax? You're probably not going to get a phone call from Equifax or TransUnion. With that being said, fraudsters can try to use that personal information that they gain from the breach to try to fraud you. They may pretend that they're your bank, they may pose as the government agency. Always make sure that you're making the outgoing call to whatever agency or company in question, and make sure that you're calling the official phone number. If you do get an incoming call, there's no way to confirm 100 per cent who you're communicating with. And if the worst were to happen and some of these customers become victims of identity fraud, what do you do in that scenario and what protection is there for that customer? The credit monitoring is good, but the fraud alerts are really what protects victims of the breach from being a victim of identity fraud. Make sure that you have those fraud alerts on with both credit agencies. That way you'll be protected from loans being opened with your name. In most cases, victims are not responsible for accounts that are fraudulently opened. But it can become a huge headache, so that's why you want to make sure that you're protected from that occurring. Do you need to be at all worried about using e-transfers or paying bills electronically through those accounts now, given that the emails are out there? As long as you have a strong password, your email technically should be OK. For questions related to e-transfers and bank accounts, that's something that the victim's financial institution would be able to [address].
CTV News
21-05-2025
- CTV News
Guelph-Eramosa Township resident loses more than $80K in romance scam
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say a resident from Guelph-Eramosa has lost more than $80,000 to a romance scam. In a media release, they explained the victim developed an online relationship with an unidentified person between February 2025 and April 2025. During this period, the perpetrator asked the resident multiple times for help with their finances. The money was sent through e-transfers and cryptocurrency. The OPP advises victims of online scams to contact their local police department or report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
