Toronto police want to shine a light on mass marketing scams and how to prevent the public from being victimized by them.
The financial crimes unit held a news conference Thursday to highlight Fraud Prevention Month, which is taking place during the month of March.
Staff Insp. Mary Lee Metcalfe told reporters that fraud touches victims of all ages and from all walks of life.
"If there's one message that we can take to the public, we are all equally vulnerable to the fraudster that would convince each and every one of us that their request for money is a genuine one," she said. "However, the end result in all financial crimes is the great personal loss of our livelihoods."
Metcalfe also spoke about some fraud prevention materials that police will make available, including a pamphlet that outlines 17 common types of fraud. The brochures are expected to be posted online in the near future.
"We have advanced these information booklets so that our community can be very well informed on how to recognize these types of schemes," Metcalfe said.
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