Cyber-Fraud: How and Where to Report When You Have Been a Victim

Cyber-Fraud has become a common experience for Canadians as reported by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm) who indicate that as of 31 October 2024, $503 million has been lost to fraud ($577 million in 2023) with 28,634 victims of fraud (42,226 in 2023).

As mental health clinicians, it is likely patients in our care will be unsuspecting victims to cyber-fraud at some point. In support of navigating the victim services process, the following resources are available to individuals impacted by fraud.

Insofar as authorities to report fraud to, the following resources are available to file a complaint with:

1. Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) – This is the main national hub for fraud reporting. They work with law enforcement and government agencies to track and combat scams by sharing intelligence on incidents and tactics.

• Website: antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
• Phone: 1-888-495-8501

2. Local Police (in the jurisdiction where the fraud occurred) / RCMP (if the jurisdiction in question doesn’t have its own police force) – If a financial loss has been suffered, reporting to local police is always recommended. While recovery of the funds is unlikely, both due to the complexity of fraud schemes and limited police resources, getting a formal report on file is important in case additional fraud targeting you occurs.

3. Impacted bank / financial institution – Banks keep detailed records of fraud schemes targeting their customers. The unfortunate reality is that banks are the first and last line of defense against this sort of thing most of the time, so intelligence you can provide can actually prove invaluable to protecting others who may be targeted by the same shitheads.

4. Better Business Bureau (Optional): While they have no regulatory or enforcement role, this can be a useful resource for warning others. BBB also has its own in-house investigators who review reports that are submitted and share actionable intel with local / provincial / federal agencies. So, it is a nice thing to do to help others, basically.

• Website: bbb.org/scamtracker

In terms of things to include when reporting, do include the following (if available):

• The scammer’s email address, phone number, or social media profile.
• Copies of messages, emails, or other communication.
• Receipts, transaction records, or screenshots showing financial losses.

In terms of known websites that are known to be or are suspected as fraudulent, if you have submitted a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), getting in touch with the hosting domain service (e.g., “GoDaddy” “HostPapa”) of the offending website to share your report through the CAFC as evidence is highly recommended as the hosting domain service will suspend websites that are suspected as being fraudulent.

How to find out the hosting domain service:

• Visit https://www.whois.com/whois/ and enter the offending domain name in the search browser then select “search”
• Scroll to “Raw Whois Data” and look for Registrar Abuse Contact Email
  • Send an email to this contact – including your CAFC report (with personal information redacted / blocked out) will streamline your complaint process.
• If the Registrar Abuse Contact Email cannot be found, look for the company identified as the “Registration Service Provided By”.
• Note: Sometimes websites registered in the United States of America have privacy protection services (e.g., www.privacyprotect.org). These privacy protection services *should* have sections within their website to report fraudulent websites they provide services for.

Hopefully these above resources / steps will allow you to support patients in your care to quickly report their fraudulent experience so you can help them engage the psychotherapeutic process associated with their sense of loss and / or victimization.

Do you have any additional supportive guidance / resources for victims of fraud? Let me know by getting in touch: adam@cwcp.ca