March is Fraud prevention month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, March 3, 2023      11:30 am

(Ottawa) – March is Fraud Prevention Month and the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) wants to equip residents with information on how to avoid some common scams. 

“We have been seeing a significant increase in grandparent schemes in the Ottawa area, where the person identifies themselves as a family member in crisis and asks for immediate financial help, typically in the form of cash for bail or lawyer fees,” said Fraud Unit Staff Sergeant Cameron Graham. “It’s important to educate yourself on some of these more common scams to avoid falling victim.” 

According to our partners at the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), it received reports of $530 million in victim losses last year. This was nearly a 40 percent increase from 2021, where 75 percent of those reports were tied to cybercrime. The CAFC estimates that only between 5 and 10 percent of victims report fraud-related incidents. 

Over the next month, the OPS will share some common scams and how to counter them on our social media channels (@OttawaPolice on Twitter, @ottawapolice on Instagram, and OttawaPoliceService on Facebook). Watch your social media feeds for helpful information. 

“It’s important that adult children look after parents who are not comfortable with how computers work,” said S/Sgt. Graham. “A lot of these scams target the elderly online.” 

Common frauds include: Investment scams, spear phishing, and phishing scams. You can read more about types of frauds and how to avoid them by visiting the CAFC website.

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