- Latest survey by Royal Bank of Canada shows Canadians are concerned about spotting scams and that fraud risk will get worse if a recession hits
- According to the 2023 RBC Fraud Prevention Month Poll, 42 per cent of Canadians think it will be harder to spot scams during a recession than in the pandemic
- The research also found that three-quarters of respondents (75 per cent) believe it’s easier to fall victim to a scam when struggling financially
- RBC is a diversified financial services company, offering personal and commercial banking, and other wealth-management services
Latest survey by Royal Bank of Canada shows Canadians are concerned about spotting scams and that fraud risk will get worse if a recession hits.
According to the 2023 RBC Fraud Prevention Month Poll, 42 per cent of Canadians think it will be harder to spot scams during a recession than in the pandemic. Four in five (78 per cent) believe a recession will increase everyone’s fraud risk.
The research also found that three-quarters of respondents (75 per cent) believe it’s easier to fall victim to a scam when struggling financially. More than a third (36 per cent) however, are too worried about other things to be concerned about fraud. It also showed that 86 per cent of Canadians are simply tired of having to be on the lookout for scams.
Kevin Purkiss, Vice President, Fraud Management at RBC, commented on the survey findings.
“It’s understandable that people have a lot on their minds and don’t want to think about fraud. However, scams are getting harder to spot and fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated. We’ve seen a strong correlation between increased fraud and economic slowdowns, which means Canadians need to stay vigilant about reducing their risk.”
Other significant poll findings
- 77 per cent say their first instinct is to assume every e-mail, phone call or text from a company or organization is a scam
- 67 per cent say it’s harder than ever to tell when an e-mail, text or online ad is a scam
- 32 per cent are concerned they are already starting to miss the signs of potential fraud
- 71 per cent worry it will be harder to spot the signs of fraud as they get older
- 23 per cent have been a victim of fraud or fallen for a scam
- 18 per cent report fraudsters have gained access to their personal or financial information
- 14 per cent say they lost money in a scam, with $400 as the average total amount lost
- 6 per cent have lost more than $10,000
RBC’s four tips to help avoid potential scams
- Do not give out personal information to people you do not know
- Do not share information or click on a link or attachment from sources you do not trust
- When online, do not enter login information or credit card details unless you are sure the site is legitimate
- Do your research and be extra cautious when shopping online or on social media
About the survey
These are the findings of a survey commissioned by RBC. The survey was conducted from February 15-17, 2023 among a nationally representative sample of 1,504 Canadian adults (18+), balanced and weighted on age, gender, region and education.
About Royal Bank of Canada
RBC is a diversified financial services company, offering personal and commercial banking, and other wealth-management services. The bank is concentrated in Canada, with additional operations in the U.S. and other countries.
