Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre Says Albertans Lost $5.4 Million to Scam Calls Last Year ⇥ cbc.ca

Jade Markus, CBC News:

The amount that phone scammers have stolen from Albertans has nearly doubled compared to two years prior, mirroring a national trend with fewer victims, but millions of dollars lost.

Data from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre shows that in 2022 there were 849 reported victims of scam calls in Alberta, totaling more than $5.4 million.

In 2021, 757 Albertans lost $3.4 million and in 2020, 927 people lost $2.1 million. The data relies on what was reported to the centre.

The federal government says around $530 million was lost to scams of all types across Canada in 2022, 40% more than in the year prior which was a 130% increase over 2020. While I leave open the possibility the RCMP is overestimating, I have noticed an increase in the number of scam calls I have been receiving, often multiple per day. I ask them if they are okay with how much they are stealing from people who do not know better, and they often say yes. Sometimes, I think about how sad this is for everyone involved.