Be aware of scammers' tricks - It's Fraud Prevention Month!

Fraud is one of the fastest growing crimes across Canada, and the RCMP are warning residents to be vigilant against scammers who pose as someone or an organization that they're not - through social media, emails, phone calls and texts. 

Fraudsters will get to know someone through social media like WhatsApp and Facebook and study that person so that when they make contact, they're quite familiar with that person. Or they will build relationship through social media to gain trust and then ask for money once the relationship is well established.

With the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), people should be more vigilant than ever. AI is opening the door to more elaborate deep fakes used in conjunction with scams and also allowing fraudsters to scale their operations to levels far beyond what they handle in the past.

In 2023, Manitobans lost over $9 million dollars through scammers.

Investment fraud is on the rise, and one of the top scams where victims tend to lose money, especially in Manitoba.

The promise of big returns on websites that look authentic entice people to invest large amounts of money or cryptocurrency. The scams are well-polished and may involve relationship-building for months in order to gain a victim’s trust.

RCMP Sergeant, Eric Descoteaux, says scammers will target those who may not be well educated in the field of investment plans and strategies, and often in the rural areas. 

"You will have people calling from other countries, and they tell people they have a business opportunity and encourage people to give thousands of dollars in order to be a part of this opportunity to make millions out of it.  But it's a scam and many people are losing thousands of dollars in this."

Receiving phone calls, text messages and emails from people or organizations you don't know is your first hint that this might be a scam.

Receiving calls or emails from Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) threatening your arrest if you don't pay money is one to watch for now during tax season. And texts from UPS or Canada Post are also scammers hoping you'll click the link so they can make a connection with you.

It is estimated that only 5-10% of fraud cases are actually reported. If you are a victim of fraud, or come across a scam, it is important to report it to your local police agency, the RCMP or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Education is the biggest tool in combatting fraud.

Please visit The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website at www.antifraudcentre.ca or call 1-888-495-8501 for more information on how to protect yourself, and what to do if you’ve been a victim.