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Wondering what to do with those old cellphones or laptop and don’t want your personal information to fall into the wrong hands? Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) is here to help.
SPS has partnered with the Electronic Recycling Association (ERA) for a Fraud Prevention Month event on March 14 where electronics and confidential papers can be securely destroyed.
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From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday at the SPS headquarters gymnasium at 76 25th Street East, the ERA will collect and securely destroy unwanted electronics, including gaming consoles, stereo equipment, desktop computers and laptops, hand-held devices, printers, accessories, phone systems, servers, software, and routers. (Personal or household appliances will not be accepted.)
Secure recycling bins will also be available on-site to safely discard confidential documents. As well, members of the SPS economic crime section will be available to answer questions.
RCMP said in a Fraud Prevention Month bulletin on its website that in 2023 Canadians lost $567 million to fraud — an increase of $37 million from 2022 and $187 million since 2021.
The top three frauds with the highest level of financial impact were investment scams, spear phishing, and romance scams, RCMP added, and despite the rise in financial losses the rate of fraud being reported remains low, with only 5 to 10 per cent of crimes reported.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CACF) says that in 2024 — the 20th anniversary of Fraud Prevention Month — fraud methods have evolved considerably over the last two decades.
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For example, the agency said investment fraud has evolved from mainly Ponzi schemes and other fake investment opportunities to a large amount of cryptocurrency fraud, estimating that in 2023 more than 50 per cent of the $309 million in reported investment fraud loss in Canada was tied to crypto investment.
Emergency frauds — like the recent grandparent scam in Saskatoon where a woman was charged with defrauding victims in Saskatoon of more than $97,000 — have evolved from fraudsters requesting payment through a money service like Western Union or Money Gram to requesting e-transfers and cryptocurrency as a form of payment.
In 2005, phishing was a relatively new tactic involving deceptive emails that appeared to be from legitimate sources. Now, the agency says, fraudsters use more convincing email templates, and also use text messages to impersonate service providers, government agencies or financial institutions. No one is immune — in 2023, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways reported it lost $509,380 to an email scammer who pretended to be a supplier.
If you suspect you have been a victim of cybercrime or fraud, report it to Saskatoon police and to the CAFC online or by phone at 1-888-495-8501. If not a victim, report it to the CAFC anyway.
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