Canada is seeing an unprecedented surge in online scams, with a record $380-million stolen last year compared to $165-million in 2020. That’s according to a study from the consumer protection company, Social Catfish (www.Socialcatfish.com)

Of the provinces, Ontario had the highest amount of money stolen, with an average of $3,010 per victim over the last five years. Saskatchewan was eighth, with an average loss per victim at $1,940 in the same time period. Analyzing data from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre from 2017 to 2021, Social Catfish states in its report, the rise in scams coincides with the pandemic as more people work, bank, date and shop online.

The three biggest scams in this same time period are investment, romance and extortion scams. Around $165-million has been stolen since 2017 from investment scams, where once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunities are offered through email or social media. Victims lost in total $134-million to romance scams where scammers target singles and shower them with affection until they have their trust, and then they begin asking for money for emergencies. From extortion scams, $54-million has been bilked. As an example, Fake police emails accuse people of serious criminal charges and tell the victims to respond to an email address where they ask for payment and other personal information to avoid going to jail.