Every year thousands of Canadians are victimized and millions of dollars are lost through the many forms of fraud, according to the Ontario Provincial Police.

March is fraud prevention month and the OPP and Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) launched their annual campaign Tuesday.

Police are calling for more public awareness and reporting to reduce many harmful aspects of fraud and victimization.

“The impact of all fraudulent activities is staggering. Whether it is senior citizens bilked out of their life savings or young people stripped of their assets and starting over, the harm caused by fraud is real and significant,” said Deputy Commissioner Scott Tod of the OPP’s Investigations and Organized Crime unit.

The CAFC reports 66 per cent of all Canadian-based 'mass marketing fraud' (MMF) scams in 2014 occurred to victims online via the internet or e-mail, while another 20 per cent occurred by telephone. In all, 13,701 victims of mass marketing fraud lost a total of just under $69-million last year – higher than in 2013. The majority of victims were between 50 and 70 years of age.

According to police, seniors are the popular targets and the common types of fraud involves lottery, service and romance scams.

“Perpetrators of fraud prey upon many segments of our population, especially the most vulnerable. The money taken is used to fuel other illegal activities, further victimizing the unsuspecting victims," said Inspector Mike Bickerton who is with the OPP Anti-Rackets Branch.

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