Fraud doesn’t come and go, it’s something residents deal with all the time. Whether online, over the phone, or in person, scams continue to circulate throughout the community.
Const. Samantha Bigley, communications officer with the Bracebridge OPP, says there hasn’t been a noted increase in fraud in our area, because there already is an overwhelming amount of fraud happening.
“It is an almost daily occurrence where people are calling into report that they have been a victim of fraud or attempted fraud,” said Bigley.
She said there was a time when crypto frauds were more common, where fraudsters would convince people to invest their money to see a large, fast return. Adding that these types of scams are more challenging to investigate.
According to Bigley, along with the more complicated cases, there are also scams that are more common, such as cloned sites or marketplace frauds where fraudsters are selling items they do not have.
Some other common frauds are more seasonal. Around tax season there is an increase of people posing as the CRA whether it’s with phone calls, or text messages.
“it is a time where people are already thinking about their taxes,” said Bigley. “It puts them in a mode where they know it’s tax season, so it puts them at a higher likelihood of being taken advantage of.”
Bigley reminds the public that the CRA or any banking institution would not ask for personal information or passwords through a digital medium such as text messages or e-mails.
Another common scam she mentions is romance scams, when an individual meets someone online and assumes they know who they are talking to.
“The fraudster will invest time and energy into building a relationship with someone and then start asking for money with the promise of getting together,” she said.
Bigley said these cases are very difficult because it’s not only the amount of money lost, but it’s also that the emotional investment can really “take a toll on people”.
The targeted age groups depends on the type of scam said Bigley, some target older adults, others seniors, and even children may be targeted since it is more common for them to have phones now.
She says AI has also made people more vulnerable because it can be very convincing.
“Unfortunately, we can’t take anything at face value,” said Bigley. “If you receive a phone call, a text message, an e-mail, it is so important to verify it through a second source.”
Fraudsters now have the capabilities to clone phone numbers, according to Bigley it even happened to them where someone called them saying they had missed a call from Bracebridge OPP, but the OPP had never called – it was a fraudster who cloned the phone number.
There are subtle cues that she advises the public to be aware of such as strange looking addresses, e-mails, or bad grammar.
When emotions are heightened, especially if the fraudster is saying things like a family member has been in an accident or has been arrested, it is more common that people overlook the red flags and fall into a trap.
“That’s just a human reaction,” said Bigley. “It’s important to practice slowing down, and just breathing, and trying to bring your heart rate down a little bit… and then just verifying everything.”
Bigley says if you believe you have been a victim of fraud, it is important to report it to your local police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
“Not only is it a great source of information, but they will take your details as well,” she said. “And even if it is an attempted fraud, […] it is important to track those trends.”
