The OPP and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre are launching their annual Fraud Prevention Month public awareness campaign.
Police say that every year, thousands of Canadians fall victim to fraud amassing losses in the millions of dollars.
“Whether it is vulnerable citizens cheated out of their life savings or young people stripped of their assets and forced to start over, the harm caused by all types of fraud is staggering,” said OPP Commissioner Vince Hawkes.
“The money taken is used to fuel other illegal activities, causing further harm to society as a whole.”
Regardless of age, gender and location, police say everyone can take steps to better protect themselves from becoming victims of fraud. Some basic tips include never giving out personal information at your door, over the phone, through social media, or on dating websites.
During the month of March, the OPP and its partners – the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Competition Bureau of Canada – will join police services across the country to promote public awareness to help prevent all Canadians from becoming victims of fraud.
This year’s campaign will focus on five topics including emergency/Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scams, “romance Scam,” computer scams, phishing/bank website scams and lottery scams.
Police are encouraging the public to help them “recognize, reject and report” fraud on social media by using the hashtags #FPM2016 #DontBeAVictim and #OPPtips. Those who suspect they’ve been a victim of fraud, can contact the local police service, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or https://www.tipsubmit.com.
