TORONTO, Sept. 26, 2023 - With new scams becoming more frequent and sophisticated, a majority of Canadians (88 per cent) report they've experienced an increase in attempts at fraudulent activity, and seven out of 10 (73 per cent) say they were knowingly targeted, according to a new survey from RBC. In addition, more than half (57 per cent) say they received notifications their personal information was exposed in a data breach, which is up considerably from 20 per cent in 2022. Yet, while Canadians' awareness of scams is high, most (68 per cent) don't know what actions to take if their personal data is compromised, leaving plenty of room for education and preparedness.
"Cybercrime is continuously evolving as fraudsters polish their approach, whether online or through digital communications," says Adam Evans, chief information security officer, RBC. "The poll reveals that while most Canadians have a healthy skepticism and high awareness of fraudulent activity, there's still a lack of preparedness and knowledge around how to handle a data breach, which can lead to anything from loss of finances to identity theft."