Younger Canadians at risk of employment and other digital scams
Published April 2, 2024 at 4:07 pm
While many scammers target less tech-savvy Canadians, younger people–especially those seeking jobs–are at risk of sneaky and convincing frauds.
Online scams are rapidly becoming a fundamental part of digital literacy in Ontario, as more people fall victim to online schemes each year. While governing agencies try to keep pace with this kind of criminal activity, those across the province look to strengthen their defenses.
In this case specifically, with the one-two punch of education and boxing.
This April, Interac is teaming up with the United Boxing Club in Toronto to help Ontarians spot the danger of digital fraud scenarios by applying the same situational awareness that comes with boxing, in order to help knock out fraudsters for good.
According to data from Interac, Canadians maintain relatively biased perspectives on digital fraud, as 74 per cent of surveyed individuals believed that online scams only impact the elderly and the non-tech savvy. However, in the last six months, roughly 24 per cent of Gen Z Canadians have been targeted by digital job scams.
These specific frauds are laser-focused on Ontario’s young workforce and often take the form of fraudsters impersonating a potential employer to gain personal banking information from the victim.
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“While the tech-celeration has made Canadians a more frequent target of fraud, ongoing education and awareness can help individuals identify fraud with speed and agility and outsmart fraudsters,” said Joanna Schoneveld, Fraud Management Leader at Interac in an official statement.
The fundamental principles of this course include stopping and assessing a potential fraud situation, scrutinizing its form of delivery and speaking up to the right kind of authorities in order to ensure that the scammers get stopped.
“The curated Fraud Fighters experience will help participants sharpen their awareness, build their endurance and boost their self-confidence – all of which build an important foundation to help Canadians combat even the newest forms of fraud, said Schoneveld.
From the looks of it, the Fraud Fighters seminars, which are slated to occur on April 13 and 20, will help those in the province keep their guard — for both themselves and their wallets.
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