Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Citing a "significant increase" in fraudulent activity in Canada in the last two years— the majority of which in the last year has been happening online—the RCMP is calling on Canadians to be aware of scammers' tactics.
Speaking to MPs on the House of Commons Industry and Technology Committee on Monday, during a hearing on the prevalence of fraudulent calls in Canada, RCMP Director General for National Cybercrime Coordination Unit Chris Lynam said that since 2020, officials have seen this marked increase in scams, including through email and social media.
"Part of the challenge… is that you're dealing with very highly adaptive people, and they're criminals. So they can very easily pivot to adopt the newest technique... For example, they will watch what's happening in terms of an incident or a government-type rebate, and very quickly they'll be able to figure out how to go and put that scam pitch out to Canadians," Lynam said. "We now think over 70 per cent of the activity is cyber-enabled."
According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAC) so far this year, there have been 61,305 reports of fraud, 38,812 victims of fraud, and $332.7 million lost to fraud in Canada, as of the end of August. These figures include online scams as well as fraudulent calls.
In all of 2021 the CAC received 107,139 reports of fraud, targeting 68,061 victims, and resulting in $383 million lost. Lynam said that the 2021 figures were a 130 per cent increase from 2020.
"Oftentimes, we're dealing with thousands of victims, multiple policing jurisdictions, cybercrime, infrastructure, and digital evidence in foreign countries," he said. "At the same time, CAC estimates that only five to 10 per cent of victim victims actually report fraud to law enforcement," he said.
Calling fraud an "omnipresent challenge," the lead for the RCMP's cybercrime unit said arrests aren't the only way to tackle the issue, citing prevention and awareness-building as other necessary tools.
Noting October is Cyber Security Awareness month, Lynam said it's important for Canadians to "be aware of what's happening out there," pointing to federal initiatives undetaken, including outreach to seniors and an online reporting mechanism that's in the process of being updated.
The committee voted last month to renew its look at fraud in Canada—hearing both from federal officials as well as stakeholders on the latest developments—in follow up to a previous study and report from 2020 that called for the government to be more transparent and proactive about fraudsters targeting Canadians.
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly Knight, a Grade 4 student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.