With losses of $732,000 in 2022 alone, Quebec is the third province most affected by the “grandparent” type scam, after Ontario and Alberta. As the phenomenon is on a “marked increase” in the country, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center (CAFC) will hold a fraud prevention campaign, from February 6 to 10, to raise public awareness.
Last year, all frauds perpetrated in Canada totaled $530 million in losses for victims, an increase of nearly 40% compared to 2021, when $380 million were stolen.
According to CAFC Outreach and Communications Officer Jeff Horncastle, both the number of victims and the sums stolen from them continue to grow. In 2021, the CAFC handled complaints from 323 victims; a year later, 1,100 people had come forward to denounce the crime they had suffered.
Moreover, the Anti-Fraud Center estimates that only 5 to 10% of people who are victims of fraud report it, which suggests even more astronomical losses.
Grandparent-type scams alone, which have been around for a few years now, have caused thefts of more than $9.2 million in the country, according to the CAFC. This is a significant increase from $2.4 million in 2021.
More than half of these losses ($5.4 million) were recorded in Ontario, after which $1.1 million in Alberta was stolen thanks to this type of fraud. After Quebec, British Columbia and Manitoba complete the quintet of the most affected provinces, with respective losses of more than $322,000 and $313,000.
In the case of a “grandparent” type scam, the fraudster communicates with his prey, often a vulnerable elderly person, and pretends an emergency. He pretends to be a family member, usually a grandchild, a lawyer or a law enforcement representative who calls on behalf of a loved one who may be in an emergency situation for which a payment, such a surety, is necessary. They rely heavily on the guilt of their victim to achieve their ends.
“Fraudsters exploit our emotions and caring nature. By pretending to be a loved one in distress, they capitalize on our fears and rob seniors across the province of thousands of dollars every day. The best protection against this type of fraud is education and information,” said Dominic Chong, Detective Superintendent, Director of Financial Crime Services, Scams Branch and Bureau of Anti-Corruption. serious fraud, from the Ontario Provincial Police, which is also involved in the awareness campaign.
Throughout the week, several tips, newsletters and social media posts will be circulating to educate Canadians about this type of fraud.
We suggest that citizens who know an elderly person likely to become the target of this fraud to raise the subject with them and explain to them what to do if they receive such a call. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Center recommends using a code word to verify the authenticity of the individual on the phone.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Center urges any victim of fraud to report the crime to the local police department and its employees, at 1-888-495-8501 or online using the Fraud Reporting System (FRS), even if no financial loss has been suffered.
This dispatch was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press for the news.