The Decibel If you fall for a scam, who should pick up the bill?
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Jul 30, 2025 Alexandra Posadzki, a financial and cybercrime reporter for The Globe and Mail, dives into the alarming rise of scams and their evolving tactics. She discusses a harrowing case of a woman duped by a fake publishing service and highlights the growing sophistication of fraud. The conversation shifts to the complex legal landscape in Canada regarding who bears the financial burden when scams occur. Posadzki also compares international responses to fraud liability, advocating for better consumer protections and the urgent need for regulatory reforms.
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International Scammers Elude Local Law Enforcement
- Scam perpetrators often operate internationally, complicating law enforcement’s ability to catch them.
- Cross-border cooperation among law enforcement agencies is increasing to combat this issue.
Canada’s Patchy Fraud Liability Laws
- In Canada, protections exist for unauthorized credit card transactions limiting consumer loss to $50.
- No clear regulation protects consumers against authorized fraud; liability depends on individual bank agreements.
Banks Use Behavior to Detect Fraud
- Banks use behavioral monitoring to flag unusual transactions that deviate from customers' typical patterns.
- The Canadian Anti-Scam Alliance coordinates different industries to combat scams collaboratively.