Frauds and scams are not just crimes of inconvenience—they are a devastating assault on older Canadians’ financial security. In our latest pre-budget submission, CARP warned that the official numbers reported by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) vastly understate the crisis. In 2024, the CAFC tracked $638 million in reported losses. But experts estimate that only 5–10% of frauds are actually reported, meaning the true figure runs into the billions of dollars each year.

Read CARP’s Brief: Justice for Seniors.

For seniors, the impact is life-shattering. Once retirement savings are stolen, they are almost never recovered, leaving older Canadians unable to rebuild. Seniors accounted for 17,000 reported cases and $138 million in documented losses last year alone—but those figures are a fraction of the reality.

CARP has called on the federal government to:

• Classify senior-targeted fraud as a serious offence under the Criminal Code.

• Hold financial institutions accountable when they fail to detect or prevent suspicious transactions.

• Increase resources for investigation and recovery so seniors are not left abandoned.

• Impose stronger penalties for criminals who target seniors—real jail time, not slaps on the wrist.

Meeting with the Honourable Ruby Sahota, Secretary of State for Combatting Crime

On September 15, CARP met with the Honourable Ruby Sahota, Secretary of State for Combatting Crime, on her first day back in Parliament after the summer recess. Minister Sahota was very receptive and glad to know that fraud and scams are a top concern for CARP members. She has been in regular contact with the CARP Chapter in her riding of Brampton, Ontario, and understands how these crimes are hitting close to home.

She outlined the government’s immediate priorities, including legislation around physical crime and bail reform, as well as protecting children online. She referenced Bill C-2, which will provide law enforcement with new tools to obtain information from telecom companies, and pointed to the new Banker Coalition’s new educational campaign to fight scams. Canada, she said, is looking to the United Kingdom as a model for fraud regulation.

Her comment that “the foundation [for fraud and scams protection] has been laid in Canada” underscores that some steps have been taken—but CARP insists the foundation is not enough. With billions being stolen every year, Canadians cannot afford incremental change.

Discussion with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

Following Minister Sahota’s introduction, CARP met with Chris Lynam, Director General of the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) and the National Cybercrime Coordination Centre (NC3) within the RCMP. Mr. Lynam oversees Canada’s central hub for fraud reporting, intelligence, and coordination of efforts to combat fraud and cybercrime.

The discussion highlighted both the CAFC’s role as a national clearinghouse for fraud intelligence and the immense challenges it faces. The CAFC is severely under-resourced: it cannot answer all of the calls coming in, despite being on the front lines of a crime wave stealing billions every year. Victims often report that filing a complaint leads nowhere—few cases are investigated, and even fewer result in restitution. With only a tiny fraction of tax dollars allocated to fighting a multibillion-dollar problem, seniors are being left exposed.

This has left many older Canadians doubly victimized: first by the fraudsters, and then by a system that fails to deliver accountability or recovery.

CARP’s Next Steps

CARP will continue to demand urgent reforms. Awareness campaigns and education alone are not working; they have left seniors as easy prey. What is needed now is enforcement, accountability, and meaningful deterrence.

CARP is pressing Parliament to recognize fraud against seniors as the national crisis it is, and to act accordingly. Seniors deserve protection, not platitudes—and Canada must do more to stop criminals from robbing older Canadians of their security and dignity.

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