The Ontario Provincial Police has launched a brand new marketing campaign referred to as Project Atlas, a marketing campaign to deal with cryptocurrency fraud.
The mission is specializing in disrupting organized fraud, supporting victims within the restoration of stolen funds and educating the general public about cryptocurrency funding scams.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reported final 12 months $577 million in fraud losses. Of that, $309 million was crypto funding frauds, in accordance to Const. John Armit of the OPP Anti-Rackets Department at a information convention on Wednesday.
Project Atlas contains info for the general public and victims to know the place they will entry assets for assist if they’re scammed. OPP says crypto funding frauds have gotten extra refined and are hoping to make it safer for traders to take part in digital foreign money markets.
“What’s taking place is these victims are logging on they usually’re dealing immediately with the scammers which might be instructing them how to open a crypto pockets, how to switch their crypto. After which, they’re proven on these platforms how massive their funding will get when really it is pretend,” Armit mentioned.
Braeden Keenan, an Ottawa resident who invests in crypto, mentioned his father misplaced 1000’s of {dollars} off cryptocurrency scams.
“My dad really acquired scammed on a coin that individuals have been hyping up. He put his cash right into a digital pockets, after which it disappeared. All the cash is gone. Cannot discover it, cannot get again into it. And I believe it was an excellent $5,000 to $8,000,” he mentioned.
Some residents say they’re going to by no means contact crypto, whereas others say simply to maintain it easy.
“I am at all times petrified of being scammed as a result of there are scams in all places. In your telephone, in your textual content, in your emails,” mentioned Ottawa resident Andre Dessaint. “There’s anyone scamming somebody, someplace on a regular basis.”
OPP says it could proactively attain out to people have have substained losses to help cryptocurrency restoration efforts and to help the prosecution of offenders.
Anybody who’s a sufferer of a cyptocurrency rip-off is inspired to report the incident to each your native police, opp.project.atlas@opp.ca and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Experiences will be filed via the CAFC’s on-line reporting system or by calling 1-888-495-8501.
