Frauds & Scams Info & Tips

Crimes driven by profit motives can be devastating for victims and make up a growing part of police workload.  From sophisticated internet schemes to door-to-door marketing fraud and "phishing" scams, greedy criminals have found thousands of ways to separate honest citizens from their private information and their money. With a few simple steps anyone can scam-proof their life. And everyone should.


Did you know?

In 2016, the Competition Bureau of Canada and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre saw nearly a 30% spike in reported complaints compared with 2015; with online scams accounting for over 20,000 of the complaints costing Canadians more than $40 million in losses.

Romance scams are a popular way of getting money from unsuspecting victims. The RCMP reported 748 victims lost over $17 million in 2017 to scammers pretending to be in love. And those are just the reported incidents. Many victims of frauds and scams are unaware that they have been victimized or don't report it because they are too embarrassed to admit that they were taken in. If you’re looking for love online, be wary of suitors who profess their love early on in a relationship and be very cautious when online suitors start asking for money. More on romance scams.
 

SMiShing is similar to phishing, but instead of using your email to contact you, scammers are use SMS text messaging to try get your personal information. One ploy is for cybercriminals to send an URGENT text message that makes the recipient fear that if they don’t follow the link or respond to the text immediately an important service, like their ATM card or mobile service will stop immediately.

Reputable businesses will never ask you to respond to a text or email with personal information.
According to the government of Canada 156 million phishing emails are sent out daily. According to a 2018 survey by Interac, 64 percent of Canadians were tempted to click on a link they weren’t sure was safe, and almost one quarter went ahead and clicked anyway.

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, in the first seven months of 2016 alone, 767 Canadians reported falling victim to text message scams accounting for over $567,000 in losses.
 

Coquitlam RCMP's Crime Reduction Strategy focuses on fraud and identity theft?

Local crime analysis and investigative results show that our local prolific offenders are involved in fraud and identity theft. So we make sure our team is focused on the people that cause the most crime and disorder in the communities we serve. Learn more about Coquitlam RCMP's Crime Reduction Strategy.

Do:

Don't:

- contact your financial institution/credit card company immediately;
- contact your credit bureau and have fraud alerts placed on your credit card reports;
- contact your local police via the non-emergency number;
- report phishing to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

If you see something, say something!

Public safety is everyone's responsibility—and it’s easy. The best way to do your part for public safety is to get connected to your neighbourhood, pay attention to what is going on around you and report any criminal or suspicious activity to the police. Find out more about reporting criminal and suspicious activity to the Coquitlam RCMP.

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