Did you know that in 2021 the Gov’t of Canada received 107,369 reports of fraud? That 68,078 Canadians were victims of fraud? Or that the total amount lost to fraud was $383.6 million that year?

Unfortunately, we have noticed an increase in fake profile accounts engaging posts and comments on our Facebook page with fraudulent links and malicious tagging to inappropriate content. We are aware of this ongoing activity and we are doing our best to monitor and report each incident as quickly as possible. We are doing our part, here are a few simple rules that you can follow to protect yourself:

• don't click links unless you know where you are being directed;
• if it seems too good to be true, it probably is; and
• if the correspondence seems out of character for the business or individual (spelling mistakes and poor grammar) report it and do not engage.

For more information check out the article Facebook Scams Are Everywhere. Here’s How To Stay Safe. published by Forbes magazine.

March is Fraud Awareness Month, check out the Competition Bureau of Canada's Little Black Book of Scams for more information. Another good source of information, and to report a scam, visit the Better Business Bureau's Scam Tracker.

**photo credit: Forbes.com