Fraud cases in Quebec up 15 per cent in two years
Nearly 37,000 Quebecers were victims of fraud in 2023, an increase of 15 per cent in two years, according to the Quebec Association of Police Directors (ADPQ).
The ADPQ invited the media to a press conference Wednesday morning at Quebec provincial police (SQ) headquarters to report 'a worrying increase' in fraud in Quebec.
Montreal, Montérégie and the Quebec City area are the regions where fraudsters have claimed the most victims.
However, Laval and Mauricie saw the biggest increase in fraud, at 20 per cent.
"The most frequent frauds in Quebec are those involving the fraudulent use of service cards, computers and identity theft" and "these categories include frauds involving false representatives, grandparent-type frauds and romance frauds," said Patrick Bélanger of ADPQ.
"Every time you use your credit card, every time you answer a phone call, every time you check your e-mail, you are potentially exposing yourself to increasingly sophisticated scams," added Bélanger, who is also Longueuil's police chief.
According to data compiled by ADPQ, 36,898 frauds were reported and listed by police services in Quebec in 2023, compared with 35,116 in 2022 and 32,032 in 2021.
Tip of the iceberg
But these figures "are very conservative," according to Bélanger, because "the data collection methodology may differ from one police department to another," but above all because "many victims prefer not to report, too often for fear of judgment or shame" or "because the sums stolen are not substantial."
The thousands of frauds reported each year are therefore, in his view, "just the tip of the iceberg."
Police are also noticing more and more frauds committed with the help of artificial intelligence.
"What's now happening is the voice is sometimes faked" and "artificial intelligence makes it possible to clone the voice of a grandson calling his grandparents to tell them he's in trouble and needs money," explained Bélanger.
He added that "police forces are putting a lot of effort" into trying to counter this new phenomenon.
$3 million since the start of the year
Over a three-month period in 2024, from Jan. 1 to March 31, Quebecers reported losses of nearly $3 million, compared with $123 million nationwide.
The ADPQ pointed out that even though romance scams are not among the most reported, the amounts lost by victims of this type of crime "are alarming."
In Quebec, 142 people have reported being victims of romance fraud since the beginning of 2024, and are said to have lost $800,000.
In Canada, there were 217 victims for the same period and reached $9.6 million in losses.
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 17, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation is the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
Judge raises threat of jail in hush money trial as he holds Trump in contempt, fines him US$9,000
Donald Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined US$9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. And if he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.
Court upholds Milwaukee police officer's firing for posting racist memes after Sterling Brown arrest
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a former Milwaukee police officer was properly fired for posting racist memes related to the arrest of an NBA player that triggered a public outcry.
Video captures deadly wrong-way police chase on Highway 401 in Ontario
A new video has surfaced showing a vehicle being pursued by police in the wrong direction on Highway 401 moments prior to a fatal crash that killed four people, including an infant and their grandparents.
New cancer treatment approved, but not everyone thinks it's what's best for patients
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.