**** RCMP Media Release
Nova Scotia RCMP shine light on fraud and scams in Nova Scotia throughout March
Frauds and scams are on the rise across Canada, including in Nova Scotia. March is Fraud Prevention month and the Nova Scotia RCMP want to help people become scam smart to avoid becoming a victim of a scam or fraud.
According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Nova Scotians lost more than $2.5M to fraudsters in 2021. This was up from just over $790K in 2020, which represents a rise of 331%. It marks the highest yearly recorded financial losses to Nova Scotians in the history of the Centre.
The top ten scams in Nova Scotia in 2021 based on dollar losses were:
| Nova Scotia | |||
| Pitch | Reports | Victims | Dollar Loss |
| Service | 76 | 49 | $729,250 |
| Investments | 33 | 26 | $488,430 |
| Romance | 25 | 15 | $350,155 |
| Extortion | 194 | 37 | $311,229 |
| Unknown | 50 | 6 | $237,000 |
| Bank Investigator | 55 | 16 | $184,971 |
| Spear Phishing | 40 | 19 | $102,856 |
| Prize | 42 | 9 | $62,265 |
| Vendor Fraud | 73 | 44 | $53,269 |
| Merchandise | 102 | 86 | $51,207 |
The top tips to prevent scams include:
- Don’t give personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn’t expect.
- Resist the pressure to act immediately when being pressured to make decisions.
- Never send cryptocurrency or gift cards for payment.
- Government agencies or police forces will never pressure individuals to pay or demand gift cards or cryptocurrency to pay.
If someone suspects they have been a victim of fraud, please contact your local RCMP detachment or local police.
