Canadians are increasingly treating every unexpected message as a potential scam, according to new research from RBC that underscores growing anxiety around fraud and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on financial crime.
RBC’s 2026 Fraud Prevention Month Poll, released March 2, found 81% of Canadians feel there is a new scam to watch out for almost every week, while 83% say it is safest to assume any unexpected text, email, or call is a scam until proven legitimate. The poll was conducted online among more than 1,500 adults across the country.
Respondents also reported rising skepticism about the broader digital environment. Eighty‑seven percent say it is getting harder to know whether an online ad is real or a scam, and 75% feel it is becoming more difficult to tell if a business’s website is legitimate when shopping online.
The findings come as official loss numbers continue to climb. The Canadian Anti‑Fraud Centre (CAFC) said Canadians lost about $643 million to fraud in 2024, nearly a 300% increase since 2020, and estimates that only a small fraction of incidents are reported.
AI‑driven scams seen as increasingly difficult to detect
The RBC poll suggests many Canadians already feel outpaced by the sophistication of scams. Thirty‑nine percent (39%) said they do not feel confident they can spot AI‑powered scams today, and 68% believe AI will eventually make scams impossible to detect.
Those perceptions align with recent warnings from regulators and law enforcement. The CAFC and Competition Bureau have flagged impersonation fraud, including schemes that spoof trusted brands, government agencies, or family members, as one of the fastest‑growing forms of fraud, noting that AI tools are making it easier to clone voices and create convincing fake content.
On the corporate side, a recent TransUnion study found that Canadian businesses lost the equivalent of 7.2% of revenues to fraud over the past year, with synthetic identity fraud and brand impersonation now major concerns.
High alert, but not fully prepared
RBC’s data indicated that Canadians are both vigilant and fatigued. Eighty‑three percent (83%) said they are angry that scams have become a constant part of everyday life, 78% are fed up with always having to watch for scams, and 56% feel bombarded by them.
Despite that, many still engage with fraudulent attempts before realizing what they are dealing with. Forty‑one percent (41%) said they have clicked a link or opened an email or attachment only to later discover it was from a scammer, while 40% said they have spoken with someone on the phone before realizing it was a fraudster.
Most respondents report taking more precautions than in the past – 76% said they are doing more now to protect themselves against fraud and scams than in previous years – yet 54% admitted they do not always know what steps they should be taking.
That uncertainty extends to specific scam types. Forty‑five percent (45%) believed they could be fooled by an impersonation scam, and 40% thought it would be easy for scammers to impersonate them to family or friends, but only 27% have set up a family “code word” to guard against such schemes. At the same time, 67% said they could never be fooled by an investment or cryptocurrency scam, even though CAFC data show investment fraud remains one of the costliest categories by dollar loss.
“Canadians are staying alert, questioning unexpected messages and doing what they can to reduce their risk, but scams are evolving faster than ever,” said Amit Sadhu, senior vice president, credit and fraud management at RBC. “As scams become more frequent and harder to detect, people are left second guessing every message, call or click.”
Fraud strategy and industry response
The poll coincides with a broader national effort to tackle fraud. The federal government has signaled that a National Anti‑Fraud Strategy will form part of Budget 2025, citing the sharp rise in reported losses and stressing the need for better prevention and reporting. A cross‑sector Canadian Anti‑Scam Coalition, backed by banks, telecoms, and technology firms, has also launched the StandAgainstScams.ca campaign to promote a “stop, check, talk” approach before responding to suspicious messages.
RBC is using Fraud Prevention Month to promote similar measures, urging consumers to pause when emotions are triggered, verify unexpected requests using trusted contact details, and adopt preventive tools such as strong unique passwords, multifactor authentication, and transaction alerts.
According to the poll, 88% of respondents said they always use more than one way to authenticate themselves when possible, and 76% have set up alerts on their bank accounts and credit cards to help spot unusual activity.
For banks, insurers, and intermediaries, the results highlight a widening trust and knowledge gap. Canadians appear willing to use security features when they are available, but remain unsure they can navigate AI‑enabled fraud on their own. That mix of high concern, partial preparedness, and growing digital fatigue is likely to keep pressure on financial institutions to simplify security tools, improve customer education, and strengthen their own fraud‑prevention capabilities.
