Self-reported fraud in Canada, 2019

One in six (17%) respondents stated in 2019 that they had fallen victim to fraud during the preceding five years. The typical fraud loss was $600. Approximately 25% of the victims lost $1,000, while 3% lost $10,000 or more. Over the course of five years, the losses incurred by all victims of fraud exceeded $16 billion.

Whether or not a crime is reported to the police, Canadians’ experiences with specific crimes are measured for the General Social Survey (GSS) on Canadians’ Safety (Victimization). For the first time, in 2019, the GSS asked questions about fraud; the results are released today in the paper “Self-reported fraud in Canada, 2019.” This article looks at each province and territory in Canada to see how common self-reported fraud is.