According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, over 28,000 scams have been reported this year with people losing over $51 million in Canada. 

Const. Rob Zoerb of the Moose Jaw Police Service shared some advice on how to avoid getting caught up in a scam. 

He said in his experience there are two common types of scams: the emergency scam and the romance scam. 

The emergency scam usually preys on seniors and the fear that a loved one is hurt or in trouble. The scammer poses as someone you know and says they are in trouble and need money right away. 

The romance scam generally takes place over email, social media, or online dating sites.  

The scammer will use a fake profile to spark up a relationship with you and this can be done over a prolonged period of time.  

Zoerb said it starts online and it can progress to phone calls and they will eventually ask for money for travel, a medical emergency or family assistance. He has also heard of cases where the fraudster will say they are receiving an inheritance or business rights and need money to claim it. 

Zoerb said one piece of advice he can give is to say “No.” 

“Lots of things nowadays are just high-pressure sales tactics on the phone, telemarketers obviously phoning and trying to get you to send money right away,” Zoerb said.  

“You can always request them to send something in writing to your house or, quite frankly, with some telemarketers right now don’t be afraid to hang up the phone on them.” 

If you are questioning an email or phone call, Zoerb said to do some research to verify the person on the other end is who they say they are. One great resource Zoerb pointed out is the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website. 

“It would take you through upwards of a couple of hundred scams that they have on there. It allows you to search things like scams affecting businesses or affecting individuals or the types of mediums it comes through or even an alphabetical index of different types of scams they are aware of,” he said. 

Zoerb added that there are ways to verify charities through the Canadian Revenue Agency and there are steps through provincial agencies to find out if a collection agency is looking for you. 

Finally, if you think you have been a victim, report it to the police. If you are not out any money, you can report the fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.