Scammers walked away with millions from Albertans in 2024

For a scammer, it’s always the busy season.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Center estimates as of October 31st, more than 28,000 people have been scam victims this year and more than $500 million got into scammers hands.

Both are on track to be less than 2023.

In the Edmonton area, scammers unleashed multiple unique ways this year. A fake cab that would take victims’ debit card info when they paid, a 55-year-old man was charged in a fraud case on his hot tub business, fake e-transfer sites after using Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace, the ‘grandparent scam where seniors are duped into thinking a family member was in trouble and needs to send money.

One huge case EPS saw this year was an 88-year-old man scammed out of $5 million after being friended by a 60-year-old woman. She was charged back in September.

Now, the rise in artificial intelligence has led scammers to make videos with some widely known figures.

This fake video was posted to social showing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appearing to endorse an investment into a cryptocurrency.

EPS reported almost $2 million was taken with this scam.

When CityNews asked the Alberta Securities Commission earlier this month about prevention, it said their advice was, to take a pause and think when offered something that looks too good to be true.

“Whatever it is that’s being served up to us, we need to take a moment and really think about it and decide whether or not it’s something we should consider,” said Hilary McMeekin with the Alberta Securities Commission.

As we near the end of 2024, police continue to warn about new scams.

This latest one involves a fake promotion from a cell phone provider. A scammer makes contact with a victim about an offer on a new phone at a low rate.

A new phone is shipped directly to the victim who’s given the scammers their personal account information. When they try to activate it they are told there’s a problem and it needs to be sent to another address.

The victim never gets the phone back, but instead is left with the bill.

Police say phone companies will never ask for login information, and advise that you never give anyone you don’t know or trust any usernames or passwords.

Another tip for scam avoidance is if you get a call from someone claiming to be from an organization, you can hang up and call it directly to confirm.