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North Saanich and Sidney witness dramatic rise in scams

The Sidney/North Saanich RCMP reported that residents were defrauded of $247,277 in scams during the first quarter of 2025.
This surge followed a 2,117 percent increase in losses compared to $9,026 reported in the same period last year, despite a 39 percent drop in reported incidents.
Scams included impersonations of police, businesses, government agencies, requests for bitcoin or gift cards payments, and task-based or purchase frauds on platforms like Facebook Marketplace.
The average victim age was 59, and romance scams doubled, while scams involving computer fixes or Google Play cards decreased according to the RCMP report.
The RCMP advises residents to stay alert, report any suspected scams to local authorities and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and if defrauded, to call 250-652-4441 to obtain a reference number for future use.

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