Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
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.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.