Fraud perpetrators are now posing as anti-fraud officials in Ontario

According to a recent release, OPP, RCMP and officials within the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) have revealed a new wave of scams impacting Ontario that involve fraudsters posing as anti-fraud representatives to acquire personal information and money from victims. 

According to the release, these scammers use forged government letterhead in correspondences sent to victims.

Perpetrators of these frauds will then claim to be CAFC representatives (or CAFC adjacent) to frame the situation as an ‘ongoing investigation.’. 

Materials in the statement also indicated that scammers use false police phone numbers to encourage engagement when interacting with their targets over the phone. Beyond these methods, perpetrators will also pose as a bank, credit card company or retailer and supply fake information surrounding ‘unauthorized payments’ to enhance the illusion of credibility.

Scammers will also supply email addresses and phone numbers on these fake CAFC letters and emails, often incorporating fake representatives within provincial authorities that these victims can contact for ‘inquiries.’

Additional fraud strategies inside the purview of false CAFC interactions include tech support scams.

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OPP urges residents within Ontario to be vigilant when contacted by any individual claiming their computer has been subject to a virus. These scammers will then send correspondence detailing that they are working with CAFC officials to investigate your computer for fraud investigation. 

Those who have already been fraud victims are also vulnerable, as scammers target these individuals for further gains. These perpetrators will claim they represent a government agency — such as the CAFC — and request personal information to help build a ‘sting operation’ to take down the fraudsters that initially targeted the victim. 

They will then request some form of payment towards the case and claim it will be paid back immediately.

OPP requests that Ontario residents who suspect they have engaged with any of these potential forms of fraud, contact them or the CAFC as soon as possible.