Fraud is on the rise, but Toronto police data shows investigators closing fewer cases

Toronto resident Trevor McGrath was scammed last summer, when a fraudster posing as a taxi driver swapped out his debit and credit cards. 

McGrath didn't realize until a few days later, when he tried to use his credit card and it didn't work.

Fortunately, McGrath said, he was able to recover most of his roughly $2,000 in losses through his bank, a process he said required a police report. 

McGrath filed the report online and received an automatic response email, but said he hasn't heard from police since then.

"It's such a small little pinprick in the world of crime these days," he said. "There doesn't seem like a lot of motivation … to do anything about it."

McGrath's was one of just under 17,000 fraud reports that Toronto police investigators received in 2024, amounting to $368.6 million in damages. That's roughly 3,000 more than the number of fraud reports filed in 2023, which amounted to roughly $250 million in damages, according to Toronto police spokesperson Nadine Ramadan.

At the same time, Toronto police officers closed 83 per cent fewer fraud investigations in 2023 than they did in 2015, according to data presented at a police board meeting last month.

"Fraud investigations are inherently complex and often require six to 18 months to resolve," Ramadan said.

As reports increase, she said, so does the time needed to close each case as the number of investigators is limited. Last month TPS requested a $46.2 million budget increase for 2025 to hire more officers and tackle rising demands. The Toronto Police Service Board has approved the request, but it's still pending city approval.

Meanwhile, fraud experts say the judicial system is just as bogged down with cases, making things even more difficult for victims to recover their losses.  

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The Cost of Fraud in Ontario

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In part one of CBC Toronto's investigative series, The Cost of Fraud, reporter Angelina King explains Ontario's fraud problem. Over the last decade, the province has seen fraud reports skyrocket, with just a sliver of cases leading to criminal charges, and nearly half of those dropped each year.

Protecting yourself from fraud

"There's a lot of frustration," said Michael Bury, a criminal lawyer. "And many times the police are saying, 'This is a civil matter, go to the civil courts.' But good luck there." 

The civil system often presents more challenges, said Tanya Walker, a lawyer with experience in commercial fraud cases.

"All a judge can do in this situation is say whether or not you have been defrauded, but you have to sue the right person and many times you won't know who that is," she told CBC Toronto. 

Civil cases often entail extra steps like requesting an IP address from an Internet provider in order to identify the person committing fraud, Walker said. 

Given most of the fraud he sees is through digital methods, Bury said more people should be taking preventative steps to avoid being defrauded altogether. 

"[Make] sure everything's properly secured in your financial world," he said. "It can be as simple as changing your password … changing your PIN code on your banking ATM card, all the stuff that grants people access. Check it and change it regularly."

WATCH | Police arrest 12 in major synthetic-identity fraud investigation:

12 people arrested, 102 charges laid in synthetic-identity fraud investigation

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Toronto police say 12 people are facing a combined 102 charges in a major synthetic-identity fraud investigation dubbed Project Déjà Vu. Financial Crimes Unit Det. David Coffey says synthetic-identity fraud is a form of financial fraud, in which fictional personal information is used to open accounts at financial institutions and other businesses.

Support for fraud victims 

For those who have been scammed, Victim Services Toronto (VST) offers mental health and sometimes financial support. 

Victims do not need to file a police report to make use of VST's offerings, spokesperson Jasminder Sekhon told CBC Toronto. 

"If you are a victim of fraud and … you really want to focus on the emotional impact that that's had or even potentially the financial impact that that's had, we're able to provide that with no strings attached, just supports and resources," she said. 

Victims can call the 24-hour VST crisis hotline at 416-808-7066 for more information.