This information is only if you are a victim of a fraud. If you are not a victim of a fraud, but someone attempted to defraud you (ex. CRA scam phone call), please report this to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. 

In order for the Edmonton Police Service to investigate an incident you think is a fraud, the suspected fraudster must have used:

• Deceit - concealment or distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading;
• Falsehood - a false statement or a lie; or
• Fraudulent means - being dishonest or cheating a person.

to defraud or take from you:

• Any property
• Any service
• Money
• Personal information/ identity

Reporting a fraud to the police when you’re a victim

The police need evidence to support that your complaint has the elements of criminal fraud as listed above. In order to do that, we need you to provide the following items when you go to a police station or call us to file a report:

1. Witness Statement:
   - Written in the order the events occurred so we can follow the events through time;
   - Include as much detail as you can so the witness statement will explain everything. For example: copies of emails and/or text messages, documents, receipts, etc.    
2. Transfer or sale of property (if applicable) – payment was fraudulent so you didn’t receive the money. You will need to provide:
   - A document such as a bill of sale or invoice showing the sale of the property and the selling price of the property;
   - The method of payment and the banking information from your bank to show that the payment didn’t go through.
3. Purchase of property (if applicable) - you paid for property but did not receive it. You will need to provide:
   - Documents showing the purchase information such as a bill of sale, the online advertisement for the item and the amount you paid for it.
   - Banking information showing the amount and the method of payment you used to pay for the property.
4. Services you paid for but did not receive (if applicable) – you hired or contracted someone to do something for you and they did not fulfill their commitment. You will need to provide:
   - Documents showing the type of service expected, such as the advertisement, any contract, invoice or written agreement you have that states the type of work to be done and the agreed upon price.
   - Banking information showing the amount and the method of payment you used to pay for the work to be done.
5. Services you provided for an agreed upon fee (if applicable) – you upheld your part of the agreement or contract and the payment was fraudulent so you didn’t receive the money or they refused to pay. You will need to provide:
   - Documents showing the type of service you were providing such as a contract, invoice or written agreement stating the type of work to be done and the agreed upon price.
   - The method of payment and the banking information from your bank to show that the payment didn’t go through.
6. Money Investments (if applicable) – money provided to an agent for investment purposes where the agent spent the money on personal purchases instead of using the money as agreed upon by you and the agent.
   - Documents showing the agreed upon investment and where the money was to be allocated or who it was to be given to.
   - Additional Documents showing that the original documents you received were fraudulent, fake or altered in any way.
   - Bank documents showing that your money was transferred to the agent and deposited into the agents account.
   - Any financial documents you received from the agent and any types of banking information or cheques you received from the agent.

After your formal report to the police, keep a log of all your calls to the police (if you reported over the phone) and record all file or occurrence numbers.

We then suggest taking these next steps:

1. Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC). CAFC is the central agency in Canada that collects information and criminal intelligence on such matters as mass marketing fraud (e.g., telemarketing), advance fee fraud (e.g., West African letters), Internet fraud and identification theft complaints.

Contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre toll free at 1-888-495-8501 or through the Online Fraud Reporting System on the Government of Canada website.
Hours of operation: Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 4:45 pm (Eastern Time)

2. Report the incident to the financial institution where the money was sent (e.g., money service business such as Western Union or MoneyGram, bank or credit union, credit card company or internet payment service provider).
3. If the fraud took place online through Facebook, eBay, a classified ad such as Kijiji or a dating website, be sure to report the incident directly to the website. These details can be found under "report abuse" or "report an ad."
4. Victims of identity fraud should place flags on all their accounts and report to both credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion.
   
   

If the incident is non-criminal in nature

the suspect did not use deceit, falsehood, or fraudulent means to defraud you of property, service, money, or personal information

A Purchase and Sale or Service Agreement is a written contract between the purchaser (buyer) and vendor (seller) for purchase and sale of a particular property or the purchase of a service or an agreement to provide a service. This agreement covers the specified cost of the property or service, provided that a number of conditions and terms – often laid out by the purchaser/service provider – are met.

This agreement needs to be written and signed in order to be deemed legally valid. If any of the conditions are not met, the agreement can fail. If the agreement fails and the individual at fault has not attempted to deceive (distortion of the truth for the purpose of misleading), provide a false statement or a lie, or be dishonest in any way, the agreement is seen as a civil matter not a criminal matter.

Civil matters are not investigated by the Edmonton Police Service; however, Service Alberta Consumer Investigations Unit (CIU) will investigate breaches of consumer protection legislation.

Service Alberta CIU investigators, at the end of the investigation, may recommend further action based on the facts of the case. If a Service Alberta CIU investigator determines that consumer protection violations need to be enforced, the CIU can:

• issue a warning to the business or individual
• under certain legislation, make recommendations for licensing actions, administrative penalties, undertakings and Director’s Orders.

Service Alberta Consumer Investigations Unit: 1-877-427-4088 (toll free in Alberta)
Northern Alberta (north of Red Deer)
Southern Alberta (Red Deer and south)

Hours of operation: 8:15 am - 4:30 pm (Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)