{"id":535,"date":"2025-05-08T20:32:30","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T20:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/refundauthority.com\/?p=535"},"modified":"2026-03-18T20:38:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T20:38:55","slug":"from-kyiv-with-fraud-why-canada-is-a-main-target-of-investment-scammers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/refundauthority.com\/?p=535","title":{"rendered":"From Kyiv, with fraud: Why Canada is a main target of investment scammers"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"535\" class=\"elementor elementor-535\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ece1fe7 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"ece1fe7\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f07d45 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f07d45\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"deck\" lang=\"en\">Whistleblower says lax law enforcement makes Canada a convenient target<\/h2><div class=\"byline\"><div class=\"bylineDetails\"><span class=\"authorText\" data-cy=\"author-text\"><a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/author\/nicholas-de-rosa-and-jeff-yates-1.7127182\">Nicholas De Rosa and Jeff Yates<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"bullet\">\u00b7\u00a0<\/span>CBC News\u00a0<span class=\"bullet\">\u00b7\u00a0<\/span><time class=\"timeStamp\" datetime=\"2024-03-05T15:04:12.141Z\">Posted: Mar 04, 2024 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: March 5, 2024<\/time><\/div><\/div><div data-cy=\"storyWrapper\"><div class=\"textToSpeech-p16Ki\"><div class=\"toggletip-tKLKF ttsToggleTip-DSCNQ\">\u00a0<\/div><\/div><figure class=\"imageMedia leadmedia-story full\"><div class=\"placeholder\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7127230,1709062601000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C1919%2C1079%29%3BResize%3D860\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7127230,1709062601000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C1919%2C1079%29%3B\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) 100vw,(max-width: 960px) 762px,730px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7127230,1709062601000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C1919%2C1079%29%3BResize%3D860 860w,https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7127230,1709062601000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C1919%2C1079%29%3BResize%3D1179 1179w,https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7127230,1709062601000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C1919%2C1079%29%3BResize%3D1280 1280w\" alt=\"A building in a busy city.\" data-cy=\"leadmedia-story-img\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">This building on Terasa Schevchenko Boulevard in Kyiv, Ukraine, houses one of hundreds of fraudulent call centres that have sprung up in Eastern Europe, run by a network of about two dozen criminal groups operating worldwide, says a whistleblower.\u00a0(CBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"engagement-widgets\"><div class=\"share\"><div class=\"viafoura\"><div class=\"vf-widget vf-share-bar-default\" data-widget=\"sharebar\" data-button-view=\"false\" data-path=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/ukraine-call-centre-canada-crypto-scam-1.7127166\" data-show-labels=\"true\" data-show-counters=\"false\" data-show-total=\"false\" data-vf-id=\"2\" data-engage=\"1665\"><div class=\"vf-widget vf-share-bar-default vf-share-bar\" data-show-total=\"false\" data-show-counters=\"false\" data-button-view=\"false\"><ul><li class=\"vf-share-option\"><div class=\"vf-share-bar-service-name\">\u00a0<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"story\"><p dir=\"ltr\">Every evening, about 150 people enter a building in Kyiv to work in a call centre.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">Their only job: to steal the life savings of Canadians through a variety of investment scams, according to a whistleblower who used to work in the industry.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">The building on Tarasa Shevchenko\u00a0Boulevard is just one of hundreds of fraudulent call centres that have sprung up in Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe, run by a network of about two dozen criminal groups operating worldwide, says \u201cAlex,\u201d the whistleblower.\u00a0<\/p><div class=\"adContainer-F11hw in-read-double-NumGh\"><div class=\"ad-in-read-double ad-detail \" data-cy=\"in-read-double\" data-testid=\"ads-in-read-double\"><div id=\"in-read-double-39864\" class=\"advertisement in-read-double\" data-google-query-id=\"CP_35LOjqpMDFUNcFQgdLy4f3g\"><div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/5876\/news\/story_2__container__\">\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><p dir=\"ltr\">CBC\/Radio-Canada is not giving his real name, in order to protect his identity.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">These scams promise victims high and risk-free returns on investment schemes involving cryptocurrency.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">Alex, who is from Eastern Europe, reached out to Radio-Canada and helped the public broadcaster infiltrate the Kyiv call centre in order to provide a behind-the-scenes look at how the fraudsters operate.\u00a0<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">A Radio-Canada journalist, working under a pseudonym, was even able to interview for a job as a scammer.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">Alex wanted to speak to Canadian journalists because he says this country has quietly become a target of choice \u2014 largely because Canadian authorities haven\u2019t done much to stop these types of scams.<\/p><div dir=\"ltr\"><em><strong>WATCH | A whistleblower explains why Ukrainian investment scams target Canadians:<\/strong><\/em><div class=\"player-placeholder-ui-container player-e445131a-efc2-41a8-85c6-250a7fc94699 \" data-cy=\"player-placeholder-ui-container\"><div class=\"player-placeholder-video-ui\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"Whistleblower on why Canadians are targeted\" role=\"button\"><div class=\"player-placeholder\">\u00a0<\/div><div class=\"player-placeholder-ui\"><div class=\"video-item video-card-overlay\" title=\"Whistleblower on why Canadians are targeted\"><div class=\"thumbnail-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7131429,1717223063344\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C1920%2C1080%29%3BResize%3D620\" srcset=\"\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><div class=\"video-card-overlay-container\"><div class=\"video-info-container\"><p class=\"video-item-title\">Whistleblower on why Canadians are targeted<\/p><div class=\"video-time-container\"><div class=\"play-button-container\">\u00a0<\/div><span class=\"formattedDate video-time-stamp\">March 1, 2024<\/span>|<div class=\"videoTimeLabel\"><div class=\"durationLabel\"><span class=\"a11y\">Duration<\/span>0:34<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><span class=\"mediaEmbed\"><span class=\"media-caption\">\u2018Alex,\u2019 a whistleblower, explains why investment scams run out of Eastern Europe target Canadians.<\/span><\/span><\/div><p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cI see that Canadians are target No. 1. I think it\u2019s because law enforcement has made no real prosecutions of the scammers,\u201d Alex told Radio-Canada from a secret location in Europe.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cI saw a lot of warnings from financial authorities in Canada, but no real prosecution. I think this makes an impression, for the scammers, that Canada is an easy target.\u201d<\/p><div dir=\"ltr\"><ul class=\"similarLinks\"><li class=\"similarListItem\"><div class=\"label flag\"><span class=\"labelText\">MARKETPLACE<\/span><\/div><a class=\"similarLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/business\/crypto-scam-human-trafficking-1.7105454\" data-contentid=\"\"><span class=\"similarLinkText\">Human trafficking victim says he was forced to target Canadians in crypto investment scam<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><ul class=\"similarLinks\"><li class=\"similarListItem\"><a class=\"similarLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/toronto\/crypto-scam-victim-money-back-1.7049577\" data-contentid=\"\"><span class=\"similarLinkText\">Got scammed? Why it\u2019s \u2018really, really difficult\u2019 for victims of crypto scams to get their money back<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><p dir=\"ltr\">According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), more than $300 million was stolen from Canadians in investment scams in 2023 \u2014 nine times as much as in 2020. Half of these losses were linked to cryptocurrency scams.\u00a0<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">The CAFC estimates that only five to 10 per cent of scam victims actually alert authorities.\u00a0<\/p><h2 dir=\"ltr\">Victims lured on social media<\/h2><div dir=\"ltr\"><figure class=\"imageMedia image small\"><div class=\"placeholder\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7128689,1709154985000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C456%2C746%29%3BResize%3D796\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7128689,1709154985000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C456%2C746%29%3B\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7128689,1709154985000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C456%2C746%29%3BResize%3D796 796w,https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7128689,1709154985000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C456%2C746%29%3BResize%3D1083 1083w,https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7128689,1709154985000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C456%2C746%29%3BResize%3D1280 1280w\" alt=\"An internet ad featuring a man in a suit.\" data-cy=\"image-img\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">This online ad featuring a fake endorsement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is an example of the type of ad used to promote an investment scam.\u00a0(CBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p dir=\"ltr\">This particular scam starts with social media ads, most often on Facebook.<\/p><div class=\"adContainer-F11hw in-read-SPN_4\"><div class=\"ad-in-read ad-detail \" data-cy=\"in-read\" data-testid=\"ads-in-read\"><div id=\"in-read-907156\" class=\"advertisement in-read\" data-google-query-id=\"CID45LOjqpMDFUNcFQgdLy4f3g\"><div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/5876\/news\/story_3__container__\">\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><p dir=\"ltr\">They usually feature a photo of a famous Canadian \u2014 such as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, opposition leader Pierre Poilievre or former\u00a0<em>Dragon\u2019s Den<\/em>\u00a0star Kevin O\u2019Leary \u2014 touting a new investment scheme. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is also frequently featured. These endorsements are fake.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">Users who click on the ad are sent to an article on a clone of a Canadian news site, such as CBC or CTV. The article extols a risk-free and very lucrative investment opportunity using cryptocurrency and asks readers to sign up to learn more.\u00a0<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">Those who do receive a call minutes later from a \u201cfinancial adviser,\u201d who in reality is a scammer working out of one of the fraudulent call centres in Eastern Europe. They ask the person to purchase cryptocurrency.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">Once the victim makes a small initial deposit, they are shown results on a fake trading platform that lead them to believe they have achieved incredible profits.<\/p><div dir=\"ltr\"><ul class=\"similarLinks\"><li class=\"similarListItem\"><a class=\"similarLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/business\/binance-changpeng-zhao-anti-money-laundering-laws-1.7036003\" data-contentid=\"\"><span class=\"similarLinkText\">Binance\u2019s Canadian CEO steps down, pleads guilty to breaking anti-money laundering laws<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><ul class=\"similarLinks\"><li class=\"similarListItem\"><a class=\"similarLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/world\/bankman-fried-convicted-1.7017241\" data-contentid=\"\"><span class=\"similarLinkText\">FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried convicted of defrauding cryptocurrency customers<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><p dir=\"ltr\">Over the course of days, weeks and sometimes months, the financial adviser manipulates the victim over the phone into \u201cinvesting\u201d ever larger amounts of money, steadily bleeding their life savings dry.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">Alex saw it all play out first-hand.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThe first quality is to win the trust of the victim. To be friends with the victim. It was a rule: make the clients your friends. Get information from them about their family, about where they live, how much money they have, about their dreams, about their problems,\u201d Alex explained.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">He said scammers love targeting elderly and seemingly isolated victims.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cSometimes the people are over 50, living alone, they have no friends or family, or some of them live far away\u2026 People need someone to talk about their lives, and that\u2019s very often used [by the scammers]. They talk about anything: politics, money, family, about their dreams, about the weather. Then, the [scammer] becomes a friend.\u201d<\/p><h2 dir=\"ltr\">Scamming for a living<\/h2><p dir=\"ltr\">Alex helped Radio-Canada gain access to several scammer networks on Telegram, an encrypted messaging app. That\u2019s where these call centres publish ads looking for new employees.<\/p><div dir=\"ltr\"><figure class=\"imageMedia image medium\"><div class=\"placeholder\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7129221,1709214340000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C463%2C262%29%3BResize%3D796\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7129221,1709214340000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C463%2C262%29%3B\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7129221,1709214340000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C463%2C262%29%3BResize%3D796 796w,https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7129221,1709214340000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C463%2C262%29%3BResize%3D1083 1083w,https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7129221,1709214340000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C463%2C262%29%3BResize%3D1280 1280w\" alt=\"A screengrab of a chat on the social media platform Telegram.\" data-cy=\"image-img\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">This screen grab of a Telegram chat shows how investment scammers recruit employees to specifically target Canadians.\u00a0(CBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"adContainer-F11hw in-read-SPN_4\"><div class=\"ad-in-read ad-detail \" data-cy=\"in-read\" data-testid=\"ads-in-read\"><div id=\"in-read-846005\" class=\"advertisement in-read\" data-google-query-id=\"CIH45LOjqpMDFUNcFQgdLy4f3g\"><div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/5876\/news\/story_4__container__\">\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><p dir=\"ltr\">Radio-Canada saw many ads bearing Canadian flags, looking for agents willing to work exclusively with Canadian \u201cclients\u201d and promising lucrative bonuses.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">Radio-Canada was also able to examine a document showing working conditions for employees in one Eastern European call centre. The monthly base salary was $1,200 US ($1,621 Cdn), which rose to $1,500 US ($2,027 Cdn) for those who could solicit $100,000 US or more a month from victims.\u00a0<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">Fraudsters also receive a 10 per cent commission on the amount they manage to steal.\u00a0<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">The average salary in Ukraine is around $700 Cdn a month, according to CEIC, a U.S.-based firm that tracks global economic data.<\/p><div dir=\"ltr\"><figure class=\"imageMedia image medium\"><div class=\"placeholder\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7129226,1709214387000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C550%2C571%29%3BResize%3D796\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7129226,1709214387000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C550%2C571%29%3B\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7129226,1709214387000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C550%2C571%29%3BResize%3D796 796w,https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7129226,1709214387000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C550%2C571%29%3BResize%3D1083 1083w,https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7129226,1709214387000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C550%2C571%29%3BResize%3D1280 1280w\" alt=\"A screengrab of a chat on the social media platform Telegram.\" data-cy=\"image-img\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">This screen grab of a Telegram chat shows what these call centres pay to ensnare Canadians in investment scams.\u00a0(CBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p dir=\"ltr\">With Alex\u2019s help, a Radio-Canada journalist was able to apply for a job at the Kyiv call centre using a fake Telegram profile. After answering a few cursory questions via Telegram chat about his work experience, the journalist was connected to one of the managers, known only as \u201cLeo,\u201d for a job interview.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">During the Telegram audio call, which was conducted in English, Leo confirmed the call centre exclusively targeted Canadians and was not shy about the fraudulent nature of its activities.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cLook, this business is working already for how long? It\u2019s the same advertisements and the same everything\u2026. Look, stupid people are always looking for some kind of whatever that they can invest in, do nothing and bring in more money for [the scammers],\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">When the journalist asked Leo whether rising inflation in Canada had curbed Canadians\u2019 interest in investment schemes, Leo laughed.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cI don\u2019t know why, but [the schemes are] still working,\u201d he said.<\/p><div dir=\"ltr\"><em><strong>WATCH | A Radio-Canada journalist talks to a recruiter:<\/strong><\/em><div class=\"player-placeholder-ui-container player-70dd8285-28c4-4f4d-be6d-c4f41b1bc1d6 \" data-cy=\"player-placeholder-ui-container\"><div class=\"player-placeholder-video-ui\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"A job interview with a recruiter\" role=\"button\"><div class=\"player-placeholder\">\u00a0<\/div><div class=\"player-placeholder-ui\"><div class=\"video-item video-card-overlay\" title=\"A job interview with a recruiter\"><div class=\"thumbnail-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7131428,1717223063317\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C1920%2C1080%29%3BResize%3D620\" srcset=\"\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div><div class=\"video-card-overlay-container\"><div class=\"video-info-container\"><p class=\"video-item-title\">A job interview with a recruiter<\/p><div class=\"video-time-container\"><div class=\"play-button-container\">\u00a0<\/div><span class=\"formattedDate video-time-stamp\">March 1, 2024<\/span>|<div class=\"videoTimeLabel\"><div class=\"durationLabel\"><span class=\"a11y\">Duration<\/span>0:41<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><span class=\"mediaEmbed\"><span class=\"media-caption\">A CBC journalist, posing as someone seeking employment, talks to a recruiter about why the call centre targets Canadians.<\/span><\/span><\/div><h2 dir=\"ltr\">\u2018These criminals love Canada\u2019<\/h2><p dir=\"ltr\">Mark Solomons, a senior investigator at IFW Global, an Australian private investigative firm that specializes in fraud recovery, agrees that Canada is one of the main targets, alongside Australia.<\/p><div class=\"adContainer-F11hw in-read-SPN_4\"><div class=\"ad-in-read ad-detail \" data-cy=\"in-read\" data-testid=\"ads-in-read\"><div id=\"in-read-464594\" class=\"advertisement in-read\" data-google-query-id=\"CIL45LOjqpMDFUNcFQgdLy4f3g\"><div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/5876\/news\/story_5__container__\">\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThese criminals love Canada,\u201d said Solomons. \u201cCanadians are friendly. They\u2019re quite open to other cultures. They are relatively rich. They have a relatively high savings rate and fairly good retirement provision. So there\u2019s a lot of friendly people sitting on pretty large nest eggs in Canada who are a juicy target for these types of scammers.\u201d<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">On top of that, Solomons said that too much Canadian government bureaucracy and too little intelligence-sharing by law enforcement has led to very few investigations.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">\u201c[This money is] being sucked out of the Canadian economy and sent to criminals in other countries. And it can be stopped \u2026 if a sufficient deterrent message is sent,\u201d said Solomons.<\/p><div dir=\"ltr\"><figure class=\"imageMedia image small\"><div class=\"placeholder\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7128693,1709155280000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C677%2C913%29%3BResize%3D796\" media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7128693,1709155280000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C677%2C913%29%3B\" sizes=\"(max-width: 762px) calc(100vw - 32px),730px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7128693,1709155280000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C677%2C913%29%3BResize%3D796 796w,https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7128693,1709155280000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C677%2C913%29%3BResize%3D1083 1083w,https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/ais\/1.7128693,1709155280000\/full\/max\/0\/default.jpg?im=Crop%2Crect%3D%280%2C0%2C677%2C913%29%3BResize%3D1280 1280w\" alt=\"A man in T-shirt and jacket.\" data-cy=\"image-img\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">This online ad featuring Elon Musk is another example of the fake endorsements used to make these investment scams appear legimate.\u00a0(CBC)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cI\u2019m sure that Canada is quite adept at investigating, prosecuting, convicting and in particular extraditing offenders when it involves drugs, illegal firearms or serious offending of that type. Why not fraud?\u201d<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">Solomons has carried out several investigations on fraudulent call centres for scam victims and collaborated with local authorities in different countries to recoup victims\u2019 money and help prosecute scammers. He said the chances of being investigated, caught or prosecuted \u201care very slim.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cEven if you are investigated, it\u2019s more likely to be by a financial regulator that won\u2019t have the resources or the teeth that a law enforcement agency would have,\u201d he said.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">Solomons said fighting this problem is not impossible. For example, Germany collaborated with authorities in Kosovo to arrest 18 people linked to fraudulent call centres in 2021, extraditing at least six of them.\u00a0<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">At the request of German authorities, Europol, the European Union\u2019s law enforcement agency, also carried out raids last year on four call centres across Bulgaria, Serbia and Cyprus. At least 14 arrests were made.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThere\u2019s a reason why the scammers are increasingly not targeting German victims, because Germany has made concerted efforts to detect, investigate, extradite and prosecute offenders,\u201d Solomons said.<\/p><h2 dir=\"ltr\">No comment from Canadian authorities\u00a0<\/h2><p dir=\"ltr\">Radio-Canada was not able to reach any federal ministers responsible for this type of enforcement.\u00a0<\/p><div class=\"adContainer-F11hw in-read-SPN_4\"><div class=\"ad-in-read ad-detail \" data-cy=\"in-read\" data-testid=\"ads-in-read\"><div id=\"in-read-409488\" class=\"advertisement in-read\" data-google-query-id=\"CIP45LOjqpMDFUNcFQgdLy4f3g\"><div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/5876\/news\/story_6__container__\">\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><p dir=\"ltr\">Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc\u2019s office indicated he wasn\u2019t available for comment and suggested Radio-Canada contact the RCMP. Foreign Affairs Minister M\u00e9lanie Joly\u2019s office did not respond to an interview request.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">The RCMP refused an interview, suggesting Radio-Canada contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Its mandate is to collect information on fraud and provide intelligence to other federal agencies, but it has no prosecution power.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">RCMP spokesperson Kim Chamberland sent Radio-Canada a written statement explaining that the RCMP had put in place teams that specialize in tracking cryptocurrency and had asked the Department of Justice to modify the Criminal Code to enable the police force to more easily investigate cryptocurrency crimes and seize crypto assets.\u00a0<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">While the RCMP says these measures helped them seize millions of dollars in drug proceeds, it has not really put a dent in investment scams.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">Alex said it\u2019s time Canadian authorities took this problem more seriously.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cCanada is a great country. It has a political influence, it has a global influence, it\u2019s part of the G7\u2026. it\u2019s necessary to protect the citizens and protect the country,\u201d he said.<\/p><p dir=\"ltr\">The money stolen in investment scams \u201cis going somewhere in crypto, it\u2019s going to corrupt authorities. We don\u2019t know where the money goes. It can go to the black market, maybe to drugs, maybe to weapons\u2026 Destination unknown.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whistleblower says lax law enforcement makes Canada a convenient target Nicholas De Rosa and Jeff Yates\u00a0\u00b7\u00a0CBC News\u00a0\u00b7\u00a0Posted: Mar 04, 2024 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: March 5, 2024\u00a0 This building on Terasa Schevchenko Boulevard in Kyiv, Ukraine, houses one of hundreds of fraudulent call centres that have sprung up in Eastern Europe, run by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_angie_page":false,"_eb_attr":"","page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/refundauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/refundauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/refundauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refundauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refundauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=535"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/refundauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":539,"href":"https:\/\/refundauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535\/revisions\/539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/refundauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refundauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/refundauthority.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}