The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) urges Canadians to be aware of modern scam methods, citing a "significant increase" in fraudulent activity in Canada, most of which occurred last year online. Speaking to members of Parliament on the Industry and Technology Committee in the House of Commons on Monday, during a hearing on the spread of scam calls in Canada, RCMP Commissioner Chris Lenham said that since 2020, officials have witnessed this noticeable rise in fraud, including via email and social media.

Also, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAC) so far, there have been 61,305 fraud reports and 38,812 fraud victims as of the end of August. These numbers also include online fraud as well as scam calls. In 2021, the Anti-Corruption Authority received 107,139 fraud reports, targeting 68,061 victims, leading to losses of $383 million, with Lenham saying: "Often, we deal with thousands of victims and cyber crimes. At the same time, the Anti-Fraud Authority estimates that only five to ten percent of victims have actually reported fraud to law enforcement."

Referring to October, which is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Lenham said it is important for Canadians "to be aware of what is going on out there," noting federal initiatives that have not been undertaken, including outreach to seniors and the online reporting mechanism which is being updated. The committee also voted last month to revisit fraud in Canada following a previous study and a 2020 report that called on the government to be more transparent and proactive about scammers targeting Canadians.