{"id":18305,"date":"2023-09-27T11:36:04","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T18:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/socialcatfish.com\/scamfish\/?p=18305"},"modified":"2023-09-27T11:36:28","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T18:36:28","slug":"which-canadian-provinces-have-the-most-online-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.socialcatfish.cloud\/scamfish\/which-canadian-provinces-have-the-most-online-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"ONLINE SCAMS SURGE ACROSS CANADA, HERE ARE THE MOST AND LEAST-SCAMMED PROVINCES"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Online scams are rising in Canada at an unprecedented rate. Canadians lost a record $380 million to online scammers in 2021, up more than double from $165 million in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These statistics are alarming and in lock step with the broader global trend in which scammers have thrived during the pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

COVID-19 led to more people working<\/a>, shopping, and socializing online. This created a tremendous opportunity for criminals \u2013 who have become exponentially sophisticated in recent years — to flood cyberspace with fraud. Law enforcement officials<\/a> in both the U.S. and UK have noted similar increases as seen in Canada over the last several years<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Social Catfish<\/a>, we have seen a surge in users to our website from Canada over the last year. To educate people about the current landscape of online scams in Canada, we analyzed data provided directly to us directly by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre<\/a> over the last five years from 2017-2021, as well people searches and trends from our Canadian users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below we share the insights from our analysis including:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7        A breakdown of which provinces lost the most money and had the most victims<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7        The most common online scams<\/a> taking place in Canada<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7        The most vulnerable age groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00b7        Tips to avoid these scams<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LEAKED New Nigerian Romance Scammer Bible<\/a>: \u201cHow To Make White Woman Fall In Love From Online Chat\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scam Losses by Province<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Victims in Ontario have lost the most in scams<\/a> since 2017, a combined $313 million, and they also have the highest per-report loss, just over $3,000 per incident. Compared to scam victims<\/a> in Newfoundland and Labrador, who lost about $550 per incident, those in Ontario are much more likely to be taken for tidy sums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Scam Victims by Province<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Of the roughly 104,000 Canadian scam victims<\/a> since 2017 whose province of residence is known, 43 percent were from Ontario, which is by far the nation\u2019s largest province. Because of the huge variation in population from province to province, it\u2019s necessary to adjust figures for differences in the number of residents. Accounting for those changes, the province with the highest scam<\/a> rate over the past five years is Manitoba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Canadian provinces by scam victims per 100,000 residents, 2017-2021<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Most Common Scams in Canada<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The most common type of scam<\/a> reported in Canada is extortion, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all incidents over the past five years. But that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean extortion is the costliest type of scam<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, while romance scams<\/a> account for only about 2 percent of incidents, they comprise 20 percent of all dollars lost over the past five years, which is the second-highest rate among all scam types<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Romance Scams by Age in Canada<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Romance scams<\/a> are especially costly, as we\u2019ve learned. In 2021, the average loss by victim in Canada was just under $54,000, but people in some age groups were much more likely to lose large sums in romance scams<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People between the ages of 60 and 69 lost the highest amount on average, about $81,000, while those ages 10-19 lost the least, about $2,600 on average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3 MOST COMMON SCAMS<\/a> IN CANADA AND HOW TO AVOID THEM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investment<\/a> Scams: Cybercriminals will offer once-in-a-lifetime opportunities with high rates of return and little risk. The \u201copportunity\u201d may even have a stunning website but everything on it is fake<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Avoid: Do not invest<\/a> with someone you do not know without exhaustive research. The hot scam<\/a> is to ask you to fund the investment using cryptocurrency, or to invest in a new type of crypto.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romance Scams: Scammers target online<\/a> singles and get them to fall in love. Though they never agree to meet, they earn the victims trust and begin to request money for emergencies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Avoid: Never give money or personal information — which can be used for identity theft<\/a> — to anyone you have not met in person. Take their online photo and do a reverse image search<\/a> with it confirm their real identity in seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extortion Scams<\/a> from RCMP: Fake RCMP emails are accusing people of serious criminal charges and asking them to respond to a fake law enforcement email address. They ask for payment to avoid going to jail.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Avoid: Law enforcement will never demand payment or threaten arrest by email<\/a> or phone. If concerned, call the law enforcement agency<\/a> directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In conclusion, there will always be criminals taking advantage of advances in technology to steal from others. However, by raising awareness and educating people about the threats they face online<\/a>, we are able to mitigate those risks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 GENERAL <\/strong>TIPS TO AVOID ONLINE SCAMS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n