March is fraud prevention month.
The annual campaign by the Ontario Provincial Police and Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, seeks to help Canadians recognize, reject and report fraud.
OPP Constable David Hobson says this year’s theme focuses on the last two decades, and how fraud has evolved over the years.
“Over 20 years people have seen frauds go from fraudulent ads in newspapers, to fraudulent emails or text messages from family, friends or acquaintances that look really legit, sound legit, but if something is too good to be true. It likely is,” he said.
According to police, more than 75 per cent of reported losses were associated with cyber-enabled fraud last year.
Police say fraudsters have also added social media platforms as one of their main tools to target victims. Using fraudulent ads, compromised social media accounts, and social media bots to collect personal information.
Criminals are also using call-spoofing and unsolicited emails and texts to trick people into providing their personal details.
Information on how to better protect yourself against fraud can be found on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre Website.