Scammers have stolen more than $37M in Edmonton this year. Here's how

A grandparent scam involves scammers posing as grandchildren of elderly people, claiming they have been arrested and are in urgent need to money to get bail. (File photo)

From text messages to phone calls and in-person interactions, scam artists are trying to con you out of your money.

Police data shows Edmontonians have been bilked out of tens of millions in the first eight months of the year.

Julie Matthews, a fraud prevention educator, knows all too well what kinds of scams are out to get people.

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"There are new scams out there every single day and they're getting more and more clever all the time," she said. "Unfortunately, people are falling for them and losing a lot of money."

She travels across Alberta hosting seminars, including many at seniors centres.

"I think seniors are the one group that really knows that they're at risk and they're so great about reaching out for help," Matthews said. "So presentations like this, the seniors are happy to come. They want to learn."

But technology is making it easier for scammers to target folks of all ages.

"There are more and more surveys and studies being done that show that people 18 to 45 might actually be scammed more often than seniors now," Matthews said. "Maybe less money, but they're online more often."

From January to the end of August this year, more than 5,600 people reported being scammed for a total of $37 million, Edmonton Police Service data shows.

Frausters have stolen more than $37 million in Edmonton so far this year, Edmonton Police Service data shows.

"We don't want people to be hyper aware, but we want them to be diligent," EPS Det. Linda Herczeg told CTV News Edmonton.

Herczeg, who works in the financial crime section, says many of the scams happen over the phone.

Fraudsters can spoof numbers of companies such as the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and banks.

"Hang up and you physically dial that number yourself," Herczeg said. "We need you to check it out. We need you to verify it. So disconnect from whoever you're talking to and then make the call yourself."

Another big draw for fraudsters are cryptocurrency and investment scams, with more than $50 million defrauded in four years.

"People don't take the time to validate people, companies," Herczeg said. "They're willing to give their money without even doing the background search or the information."

But frauds aren't just an online issue. There's a gold scam going around in Edmonton, she added.

"What they're doing is they're approaching them and saying, 'I have an emergency with a family member, either in Vancouver or Toronto. I have gold or I have jewelry for you. Gold, if I give you this, will you give me cash for gas?"" Herczeg explained.

"It's fake. It's not real gold and it's not real gold jewelry, and these people are getting scammed."

If you're a victim of fraud, police say you should report it to them as well as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

You are asked to produce all documentation and bank statements when filing a complaint.

The biggest thing is that they need to know about it to help others.

"Some people are too embarrassed, or they're too shy, or they're working through the emotional cycle of having the loss or allowing themselves to fall for the scam," Herczeg said.