Nova Scotians lost a record $3.6 million to scammers in 2022, up from $2.5 million in 2021, according to the RCMP Financial Crime unit. Sergeant Andrew Joyce stated that scammers are stealing hard-earned money from people across the province through false investment opportunities, fake relationships, and bogus prize winnings.

The top ten scams in the province, based on dollar losses, were as follows:

•  Investments – $1,823,133.29
•  Romance – $616,051.58
•  Prize – $318,187.51
•  Spear phishing – $276,512.30
•  Vendor fraud – $164,807.19
•  Job – $134,132.13 • Service – $118,342.45
•  Extortion – $104,128.00 • Merchandise – $67,547.96
•  Emergency (jail, accident, hospital, help) – $60,616.00

With March being Fraud Prevention Month, Sgt. Joyce reminds Nova Scotians to be alert to scam activity. He emphasized that scamming is rampant and can be devastatingly costly. To lessen the chances of being a victim of fraud, he suggests the following:

•  Don’t give personal or financial information to unknown callers, texters or emailers
•  Resist acting immediately when being pressured to hand money over
•  Never send cryptocurrency or gift cards for payment
•  Know that government agencies and police don’t request payment via gift cards or cryptocurrency, and don’t show up at your door to collect money

If anyone suspects they’re a victim of fraud, they should contact their nearest RCMP detachment or local police.