Reports of fraud to Sask. RCMP have almost doubled in the last 10 years

More and more Saskatchewan residents are becoming victims of fraud, and they're losing more money.

Saskatchewan RCMP say reports of fraud have almost doubled over the last 10 years.

"I think what is behind it is probably more and more people have access to technology, and people committing these frauds are becoming more and more savvy tricking people, spoofing numbers, spoofing emails," said RCMP Const. Kristy Fines, who investigates fraud crimes.

Fines said virtually everyone these days gets some sort of online solicitation meant to steal your money.

"Last week I got an email saying it was from SGI and I had missed a payment on my auto pay for my vehicle," Fines said.

"So instead of clicking the link, I went down to SGI. I'm like, can you just check this? And they were like, no, everything's fine with your account."

Fines said any sense of urgency in such a request should be an immediate red flag that you could be dealing with fraud.

"They want you to send the money right away," she said. "I tell people you need to just slow it down. Just take a step back and slow it down. Think about what's happening."

Email phishing scams asking you to click on a link are very common.

"Particularly when it comes to cryptocurrency," Fines said. "People see an ad on Facebook, or on a game, and click on the link and then before they know what's happened, they've sent money to this fraudster."

Old-school telephone calls, like the grandparent scam where someone claims to be a grandchild in trouble needing money right away, are also still happening.

Sgt. Lorna Dornstauder, an officer with the Saskatoon provincial general investigation section, said in a release that analysts examine fraud-related crime data to identify trends and patterns. They then try to pass that information on warn the public of the latest online scam.

Fines said there are fraudsters who continually hit the same victims with what's called a recovery scam.

"A fraudster will defraud someone and then present themselves as a lawyer trying to get their money back, but also with a fee," Fines said. "So the victim will then send more money in the hopes of getting their money back."

Worse still, the thieves can operate on the dark web and sell your information to someone else.

Fines said most scams originate outside of Canada and once your money leaves the country, it is very hard to get it back.

"These people are very, very good at what they do," she said.

RCMP offered these tips to keep yourself from being scammed:

• Monitor your banking account regularly for any suspicious activity.
• Scammers can spoof telephone numbers and make it appear as though they're calling from a trusted source.
• Slow things down. Scammers create a sense of urgency when they call.
• If you are unsure if a phone call from a supposed relative is a scam, hang up and reach out to them with a number you know and trust.
• Never give out personal information like your name, address, SIN or banking information over unsolicited calls or emails.
• Don't be afraid to say no, or intimidated by high-pressure sales tactics or requests to send money right away.
• Anyone can become a victim of fraud.