Preventing fraud starts with you! Learn how to recognize and report fraud and scams.
Learn to recognize and reject fraud
Further reading
- Common scams and deceptive marketing practices and how to avoid them
- Protect yourself from scams and fraud (Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre)
- Recent scams and fraud activities (Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre)
- Seniors Guidebook to Safety and Security (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)
- Slam the scam — Protect yourself against fraud (Canada Revenue Agency)
- Top 10 riskiest scams in Canada (Better Business Bureau)
- Test your knowledge of fraud
It’s important to always report fraud
Consumers often don’t report fraud because they’re embarrassed that it happened to them or they think that filing a complaint is not important. Corporate victims of fraud often stay silent because they don’t want to appear vulnerable or damage their company’s image. Many see fraud as simply the price of doing business today. Even worse, there’s a perception that law enforcement agencies have more important matters to worry about.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
It’s extremely important to report fraud. It’s one of the best ways for authorities to gather the evidence needed to bring down fraudsters and better protect you.
Reporting fraud and scams
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre estimates that less than 5% of fraud victims report their experiences to law enforcement agencies in Canada. By reporting a scam, you can help law enforcement catch fraudsters and identify emerging trends so they can warn the public, which can help prevent others from becoming victims.