It’s Fraud Prevention Month, and the Alberta RCMP have provided several tips on keeping yourself and your information safe from fraudsters.  

There’s a special focus on identity theft and fraud this month but other scams can include:  

  • Romance scams 
  • Phishing scams 
  • Job scams 
  • Buy and sell fraud 
  • Lottery or prize scams 
  • Tech repair scams  
  • Impersonation scams  
  • Email scams 
  • Mail theft 
  • Phone scams  

As of January 31, 2023 the Canada Anti-Fraud Centre has received 6,610 reports of fraud, and has seen $43.6 million lost to fraud.  

“Identity fraud is one of the most common forms of fraud in Canada. Criminals will often steal a person’s identity to commit other crimes such as fraudulently applying for loans or credit cards, opening bank accounts, transferring bank funds and more,” said Cpl. Sean Milne, Alberta RCMP Provincial Economic Crime Team.  

As for protecting yourself the RCMP have a couple of tips:  

  • Always shred personal and financial documents prior to disposal 
  • Check your mail regularly 
  • Check various account regularly for any unusual updates  
  • Help raise awareness with friends and family by sharing fraudulent experiences 
  • Use strong passwords for online accounts 
  • Avoid sharing personal information online 
  • Refrain from sharing banking information.  

“Scammers will try every trick in the book to convince a target that their request is legitimate. If you feel like something is off about an interaction, you’ve likely picked up on a red flag. Remember that if it’s too good to be true, it usually is,” added Milne.  

On March 15th Alberta Crime Prevention will be hosting a Fraud Prevention Month event in Red Deer from 9:00AM to 12:00PM at the Red Deer Public Library. The event will have exhibitors who will be talking about how to stay safe from Fraud.  

If you have concerns about fraud or want to report a scam head to the the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.