According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CFAC), Canadians lost more than $500 million to scams in 2022 alone. Alarmingly, investment scams accounted for the majority (61%) of these losses, with Quebec (29%) and Ontario (37%) being the hardest-hit provinces. While some progress has been made with 0.58% of funds recovered (approximately $2.9 million), it is clear that more proactive measures are needed to tackle the root of the problem: holding accountable the countries that harbor some of the most prolific scammers globally.

A major contributor to this issue is Nigeria, which has gained notoriety for the infamous “Nigerian Prince” scam and, more recently, new methods like WhatsApp scams aimed at stealing personal contacts to exploit for money. According to Siccura, an England-based data protection company, Nigeria hosts the world’s highest number of scammers. These scams have now evolved, targeting individuals by attempting to gain access to their phones (often by asking for a WhatsApp code) to access contacts and then deceive friends and family into sending money.

We believe it is time for the Canadian government to take a stand, increasing international accountability and enforcement efforts while ensuring stronger protections for Canadians against these international scams.