Canadians are ‘target No.1’ for Ukrainian scammers

 

“Hundreds” of fraudulent call centers have been established in Ukraine and Eastern Europe to run investment scams, national broadcaster CBC has reported

Canada has become a major target for scammers operating from Ukraine and Eastern Europe, state broadcaster CBC/Radio Canada reported this week, adding that the nation has been seen as “easy prey” by the criminals due to the authorities’ inaction.

Information about a vast investment scam network operating online and through phone calls was provided to the broadcaster by a whistleblower identified only as ‘Alex’. The man claimed that the network includes “hundreds” of fraudulent call centers based in Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe. According to CBC, just one such center in Kiev employs some 150 people, whose “only job” is “to steal the life savings of Canadians.”

Last year alone, more than Can$300 million was stolen from Canadians in investment scams, CBC reported, citing data from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC). That was nine times as much as in 2020, the broadcaster said, adding that half of these losses were linked to cryptocurrency fraud.

According to Alex, Canada has become particularly popular with scammers because of its lax prosecution of such activities. “I see that Canadians are target No. 1. I think it's because law enforcement has made no real prosecutions of the scammers,” he told CBC. “I think this makes an impression, for the scammers, that Canada is an easy target.”  (more...)

Canadians are ‘target No.1’ for Ukrainian scammers