March is Fraud Prevention Month; SQ calls for vigilance

March is Fraud Prevention Month; SQ calls for vigilance

The 19th edition of Fraud Prevention Month is back under the theme « Flairez l’arnaque » meaning to sniff out the scam, like a police dog sniffing for explosives.

The Sûreté du Québec is collaborating with the Bank of Canada, the Autorité des marchés financiers and several of the Fraud Prevention Forum partners, and co-chaired by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center (CAFC), the Royal Canada and the Competition Bureau. According to the CAFC, Quebec was ranked first in Canada in 2022 in the number identity fraud victims, for a second consecutive year.

This was the most common type of fraud in 2022. Fraud caused more than $42 million in financial losses in Quebec in 2022, which encumbases all types of fraud and compares to $30 million in 2021. Fraudulent schemes are constantly evolving and new ways of defrauding people are continually emerging. The population must be on the lookout more than ever. During the month of March, an awareness campaign on the different types of current frauds will take place on social media.

A bocklet called: Fraud in 3D, developed as part of a collaboration between the Bank of Canada, the Sûreté du Québec and several partners, aims to raise public awareness of the most common types of fraud. It encourages people to detect, denounce and discourage all types of scams.

“Although many specialized teams work to combat various types of fraud on a daily basis, vigilance remains the best way to counter fraudsters. Citizens must be skeptical of offers that are too good to be true, need of validating information and questions intended to lure out personal information. These simple gestures can save people a lot of trouble,” the SQ says.

Fraudsters generally rely on ignorance, the vulnerability of victims, urgency, authority and speed to achieve their ends. The Sûreté du Québec and its partners invite the population to report any fraudulent act to their local police department.

Remember that fraud is a criminal act. Whether it is committed over the Internet, by phone, by text message, by email or in person, it must be reported to the police as soon as possible and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center at 1 888 495-8501.

For more information, we invite the public to consult the website as well as the Twitter feed and the Facebook page of the Sûreté du Québec and its partners.