Legislation would compel banks and telecom companies to 'deploy state-of-the-art technology to catch scams ... before they happen'
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By Christopher Nardi
Published Apr 15, 2025
Last updated 5hours ago
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MONTREAL — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he will crack down on senior scams, promising stricter sentences for convicted fraudsters and fines of up to $5 million for companies that don’t implement sufficient scam prevention.
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In a campaign stop in Montreal Tuesday, Poilievre said a Conservative government would pass the “Stop Scamming Seniors Act” that would impose a host of new fraud reporting and detection obligations for financial institutions and telecommunications companies.
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The act aims to address the growing threat and sophistication of phone and digital scams particularly targeting seniors. He cited the well-known “grandparent” scam where fraudsters call seniors purporting to be their grandchild who is in need and asking them to urgently wire them money.
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— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) April 15, 2025“Under my government, we are going to stop these fraudsters. Period.”
—Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaking with reporters in Montreal as he announces his plan to protect seniors from financial scams. #cdnpoli #elxn2025 pic.twitter.com/NVYGgVP6TX
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Federal authorities have also recently warned of the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in these scams. For example, some fraudsters go as far as using AI technology to replicate a victim’s family member’s voice to convince them to transfer them money.
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“We’ve all seen the suspicious text messages and robocalls, sometimes they’re easy to spot, not always, but with AI and other technologies, the scams are more sophisticated and persuasive,” Poilievre said.
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Poilievre said that the legislation would compel banks and telecom companies to “deploy state-of-the-art technology to catch scams and stop them before they happen, not after when it is too late.”
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He said the act would require “mandatory scam detection systems” and real-time flagging and blocking of “suspicious activity” for financial institutions and telcoms.
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He also promised to impose a mandatory minimum one-year jail sentence for fraud over $5,000, which would increase to five years for frauds over $1 million. His government would ensure fraudsters are fined 10 times the amount defrauded.
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“How can anyone use the altruism of a mother to rob them of their life savings?” Poilievre said.
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The bill would also come with a new Criminal Code offence of “wilful blind profiteering from fraud,” which he said would target executives of organizations that ignore red flags and “knowingly allow” scams to happen.
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Digital and phone scams are a growing problem for Canadian law enforcement due to the increased sophistication of the frauds combined with the fact that fraudsters are often based outside of the country.
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But the problem is exacerbated by the fact that only a small number of victims come forward. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre estimates that only five to 10 per cent of victims report the crime to relevant authorities.
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The centre reported that 34,621 victims lost $638 million to fraud in 2024, a marked increase from $578 million reported lost the previous year but still likely only the tip of the iceberg.
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Tuesday, Poilievre accused the Liberals of failing to impose mandatory reporting and monitoring obligations on companies that might be able to detect senior scams.
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“After the lost Liberal decade, no action has been taken, no mandatory protection toward reporting, no accountability, even though these tools exist,” he said.
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cnardi@postmedia.com
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