With the holiday season upon us, scammers and fraudsters appear to be ramping up their efforts to try to fool vulnerable people and take their money.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre in North Bay is reminding people about a dozen types of scams to look out for around the holidays.
Officials said fraudsters are generally looking to get at a person's credit information or identification details and while the holiday season is a time for giving, for scammers, it’s a time for taking.
"People are able to give a little bit more and are willing to give a little bit more and fraudsters unfortunately prey on that situation," said Jeff Horncastle, a communications and client outreach officer with the anti-fraud centre.
Officials told CTV News the most prevalent schemes are online shopping scams.
"People are doing more shopping online then they have in the past,” Horncastle said.
“Make sure you're going to the legitimate website. Verify the URL and make sure it's the right website and look up the contact information."
North Bay Police Service is reminding everyone that things are often ‘no the way they seem.’
Police are urging people to check in on vulnerable loved ones who might not be able to tell the difference between a scam or something real.
"If you have a loved one that you would consider to be a vulnerable person, we do have information booklets available on fraud," said North Bay Police Sergeant Vincent Corrente.
In 2021, Canadians lost $380 million to scams.
However, as of the beginning of November, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has recorded $420 million in losses to scams in 2022.
"We expect to hit close to 500 million,” added Horncastle
“And keep in mind that we estimate less than 5 per cent of victims actually report to the Canadian anti-fraud centre."
Authorities said anyone who believes they've fallen victim to a scam should call their local police or the anit-fraud centre at 1-8888-495-8501.
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