March is Fraud Prevention Month
During the month, the OPP, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the Competition Bureau of Canada are joining police services across the country to promote public awareness to help prevent all Canadians from becoming victims of fraud.
This year, the OPP’s Fraud Prevention Month campaign will highlight five important topics pertaining to online safety, security and fraud prevention:
- Buying and Selling Online;
- Online Financial Scams;
- Securing Your Accounts and Your Identity;
- Email Scams; and
- Online Scams.
In 2020, the CAFC received 19,473 fraud reports from 9,858 Ontario victims who reported losing approximately $47 million to fraudsters.
Fraudsters have embraced technologies to engage, target and exploit victims, often with devastating financial and emotional effects. All Canadians can take basic steps to better protect themselves from becoming a victim of fraud.
Some basic online tips include:
- Creating strong passwords;
- Avoid opening unsolicited emails or clicking on suspicious links or attachments;
- Restricting the amount of information shared publicly;
- Show caution with regards to social media; and
- Update technical security software.
If you do fall victim to a fraud or know someone who has, we urge individuals to contact your local police service and the CAFC by phone at 1-888-495-8501 or online by way of the Fraud Reporting System (FRS), even if a financial loss did not occur.
$150M is just tip of the iceberg, with only an estimated 5% of fraud losses reported to @CanAntiFraud. This #FPRM2021 remember to #Take5 minutes to think before reacting, #Tell2 friends if you encounter a scammer and #KnowFraud in order to protect yourself https://t.co/p0wYKJE6CN pic.twitter.com/L9bpOPjeFM
— Ontario Provincial Police (@OPP_News) March 2, 2021
