Top 10 frauds in 2025
In 2025, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) received over 112,000 fraud reports involving more than $704 million in reported losses.
The following are the top 10 frauds based on the frequency of reporting in 2025:
| Fraud type | Reports | Victims | Dollar loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity fraud* | 8,403 | 8,403 | N/A |
| Investments | 4,409 | 3,867 | $351 M |
| Service | 3,393 | 2,444 | $19.5 M |
| Personal information* | 3,016 | 2,109 | N/A |
| Phishing* | 2,869 | 467 | N/A |
| Extortion | 2,767 | 835 | $23 M |
| Merchandise | 2,596 | 2,222 | $11.7 M |
| Fraud investigator | 2,167 | 1,137 | $28.3 M |
| Job | 2,148 | 1,726 | $50.6 M |
| Relationship | 1,093 | 933 | $63.3 M |
| * Frauds soliciting personal information, and phishing do not involve financial losses and the majority of people who are victims of identity fraud are not responsible for the fraud losses. | |||
The following are the top 10 frauds based on reported dollar loss in 2025:
| Fraud type | Reports | Victims | Dollar loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investments | 4,409 | 3,867 | $351 M |
| Spear phishing | 813 | 571 | $67.9 M |
| Relationship | 1,093 | 933 | $63.3 M |
| Job | 2,148 | 1,726 | $50.6 M |
| Fraud investigator | 2,167 | 1,137 | $28.3 M |
| Recovery pitch | 933 | 569 | $25.9 M |
| Extortion | 2,767 | 835 | $23 M |
| Service | 3,393 | 2,444 | $19.5 M |
| Merchandise | 2,596 | 2,222 | $11.7 M |
| Prize | 403 | 151 | $5.7 M |
Tips to protect yourself
- Create strong passwords for each of your accounts
- Setup multi-factor authentication to make it more difficult for someone else to access your accounts
- Never share your multi-factor authentication code with anyone
- Update the privacy settings attached to your social network accounts
- Be familiar with the terms of service and how payment methods work before using them. Look for a fraud protection policy
- Never, under any circumstances, accept money and send money to a third party. You may be participating in money laundering which is a criminal offence
- Avoid reacting automatically. Take five minutes to ask additional questions and listen to your instincts. If something doesn’t seem right, ask someone else you trust about it
- Do not trust the information on your call display because it can easily be manipulated
- Do not provide your personal or financial information on demand
- Do not open an attachment or click a link in an unsolicited email or text message
- If you’ve been a victim of fraud in the past, there is a very good chance you will be targeted again
- Learn more tips and tricks for protecting yourself
Anyone who suspects they have been the target of cybercrime or fraud should report it to their local police. Also visit the Report Cybercrime and Fraud website to report online or by phone at 1-888-495-8501.
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