Fraud evolving across northern Ontario as scammers use AI, crypto and social media

Police across northern Ontario say fraud is becoming increasingly sophisticated, with scammers using artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and social media to target victims.

The warnings come as March marks fraud prevention month in Canada.

Const. Kyler Brouwer, with the North Bay Ontario Provincial Police, said fraud reports are a regular occurrence across the region.

“Across our 12 detachments of the northeast region we’re at least getting a report a day on fraud,” Brouwer said.

But he explained that number likely represents only a fraction of what’s happening.

"We know that fraud is one of the under-reported crimes out there as well. So I'm sure it's happening a lot more than just that," he said.

Fraud remains significantly underreported, with an estimated five per cent to 10 per cent of incidents reported, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, located in North Bay.

In 2025, reported fraud losses in Canada exceeded $700 million, according to the centre.

While fraud scams do sometimes originate inside Canada, many are tied to organized crime groups operating overseas, said Jeff Horncastle, a client communications outreach officer with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

"Fraudsters can reach victims basically anywhere in the world. So it's one of the only types of crimes that can come right into our, our living room, so to speak," he said.

In 2025 alone, the centre documented victim payments sent to more than 3,000 unique bank accounts across 46 countries.

Those included Hong Kong, Vietnam, the United States, the United Kingdom, Indonesia and India.

Artificial intelligence or AI, is increasingly being used to make scams more convincing, Horncastle explained.

"For example, we might see an advertisement where there's a trusted political figure promoting maybe a crypto investment platform or merchandise," he said.