Fraud

White-collar and corporate crimes such as fraud rarely come to mind when addressing crime in Canada, yet they come in a surprising number of guises: cheque fraud, credit card fraud, forgery, unauthorized use of computers, mail and telemarketing fraud, and fraudulent manipulation of the stock exchange. As a result, fraud incurs significant costs and permeates all levels of Canadian society.

In 2002, the overall fraud rate, after reaching its lowest point in over two decades, increased for the first time in 11 years. The fraud rate was 4% higher than in 2001 and was led by a 19% increase in credit/debit card frauds. Over the past decade, the proportion of frauds that are related to credit/debit cards has more than doubled to 30%. Over the same period, cheque fraud has decreased from over half of all fraud incidents to less than one-quarter in 2002.