The Best Protection is Education. The Smiths Falls Police Service urge you to review the below document.
The Smiths Falls Police Service had 94 calls for service in 2022 that were related to Frauds. These call ranged from fraudulent purchase on their accounts, Investment/ Bitcoins Scams and extortion Frauds but are not limited to just these frauds or scams. Fraudsters and frauds/scams can be very high tech or it could be someone knocking on your door.
More and more requirements in society are forcing the public to use and adopt technology, this allows fraudsters to access private information or banking information.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER- lets get a step ahead of the Fraudsters.
THE OPP AND LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS LAUNCH THE 19TH EDITION OF FRAUD PREVENTION MONTH
(OTTAWA, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Competition Bureau of Canada are launching the 19th edition of the Fraud Prevention Month (FPM).
This years’ FPM will focus on “Tricks of the trade: What’s in a fraudster’s toolbox?”. The campaign reflects a need to educate and equip Ontario consumers and businesses alike about some of the most common fraud techniques in the marketplace right now.
With all demographic groups being expected to use technology for many facets of their lives, Canadians are being increasingly targeted by cyber criminals.
Being able to recognize these techniques will go a long way in helping to combat cyber enabled frauds. In the past decade, technology has completely transformed the fraud landscape, which is more widespread and sophisticated than ever before. With the public’s help we want to deliver information, tips and strategies for Ontarians to fight back.
In 2022, the CAFC received fraud reports totalling a staggering $530 million in victim losses. This was nearly a 40% increase from the 2021, unprecedented $380 million in losses. In 2021, approximately 75% of all reports the CAFC received were cyber enabled, and this is expected to increased year-over-year. It is estimated that only 5-10% of victims report scams and frauds to the CAFC or law enforcement.
According to the CAFC, in 2022, the top frauds affecting Canadians on a daily basis were:
• Investment frauds represented $308 million in reported losses in 2022. Ontario victims reported losing over $136 million.
• Romance frauds represented $59 million in reported losses in 2022. Ontario victims reported losing over $20 million.
• Spear phishing frauds (Business Email Compromise) represented $58 million in reported losses in 2022. Ontario victims reported losing over $21.1 million.
• Service scams represented $20.5 million in reported losses in 2022. Ontario victims reported losing over $8.1 million.
• Extortion frauds represented $19 million in reported losses in 2022. Ontario victims reported losing over $4.8 million.
How fraudsters use technology
Fraudsters will create spoofed websites, will use spoofed telephone numbers using Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) to mimic legitimate numbers, will have victims download remote entry software providing access to devices and computers or send out phishing texts pretending to be businesses or governments offering refunds. Remember…if you fall victim to a fraud or know someone who has, contact your local police service to report the crime and report it to the CAFC at 1-888-495-8501 or online on the Fraud Reporting System (FRS), even if a financial loss did not occur.