Identity theft and fraud are on the rise in Canada. In particular, Ontario has seen a very dramatic increase in this area of crime over the last couple of years.  The use of the Internet and social networking sites have encouraged criminals to re-develop scams in order to access people’s private information more effortlessly.  As the public has become more conscious and educated on Identity theft and fraud online, the scams being executed are increasingly more complex and convincing. The Internet and e-mail are portals of communication that provide an ease for criminals to cast a huge net over countless victims from a convenient distance. Criminals are using techniques known as ‘phishing’ and ‘spoofing’ to reel in new victims. 

In today’s times, we are often told to watch out for certain predators that look for opportunities to take advantage of us, especially through the internet. The internet is such an unregulated and attractive vehicle to utilize attacks on people in so many disguised ways. From phishing e-mails to serendipitous lottery winnings, these scams often try in one way or another steal our money. There have always been the tried and tested methods of robbing a bank, or a gas station, or writing bad cheques, or selling fraudulent stocks. But today, the bad guys are always thinking of new ways to squeeze money from unsuspecting victims.