Canadians lost nearly $69-million to mass marketing fraud scams in 2014.
In all, 13,701 victims reported the crime over the course of the year, but the OPP says that only accounts for about 5% of those who fell victim to fraud or identity theft.
March has been named Fraud Prevention Month in an effort to combat the crime and encourage victims to report it.
"The actual numbers of the victims are staggering. We have no clue on how many actual victims there are," says Detective Constable Ted Schendera with the OPP's Anti-Rackets Branch. "Serious fraud can cause a ripple effect. In a lot of these cases with the individuals that are elderly it impacts the family members and it goes beyond the just monetary value, it's certainly a psychological effect. It can last a lifetime."
The majority of fraud victims are between the ages of 50-70.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says 66% of all national based "mass marketing fraud" happened online, with another 20% by phone.
The OPP is asking you to never give out personal information to a stranger, whether it be in person, over the phone or online.
Investigators say in very few cases is any money ever recovered.
