Scamcouver

Duped by delivery fraud? Misled by “Microsoft”? Sideswiped by sextortion? In B.C.’S largest city and beyond, such deceptions have grown into a sizable business

In 2017, Canadians lost nearly $85 million to schemes, scams and rip-offs, according to RCMP Sgt. Guy Paul Larocque, acting officer in charge of the Canadian Anti-fraud Centre in Ottawa. Of that total, B.C. accounted for $7.9 million—a figure topped by this August, when losses for the year reached $8.7 million. The number of ruses in this cottage industry is vast, from romance burns and extortion to investment fraud. Here are a few.