The prestigious Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) academic community has uncovered startling revelations regarding cryptocurrency fraud in Canada. An estimated 35% of Canadians with holdings in digital assets have unfortunately found themselves ensnared in the trap of cryptocurrency scams.
The Prevalence of Cryptocurrency Ownership in Canada
An in-depth investigation into the prevalence of digital asset ownership reveals a remarkable statistic: about 9% of Canadian locals have dabbled in cryptocurrencies or Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). University graduates are the most likely subset of individuals to have invested in these asset types.
Cryptocurrency Scams: A Growing Concern
The alarming statistics emanate from a detailed survey involving 2,000 Canadian residents chosen to represent the nation’s demographics. The results strongly indicate that fraudulent activities related to digital currencies have indeed entrenched themselves as a major concern within the Canadian landscape.
Shocking to note is that more than a third of cryptocurrency investors have been ensnared by nefarious individuals or entities posing as trustworthy actors in the digital asset space.
Digging deeper into the types of scams encountered, 14% of respondents – the most significant subset – reported being contacted by someone masquerading as a cryptocurrency investment manager. These faux managers typically disappeared after expropriating funds under the pretext of service fees.
An additional 10% confessed to sharing sensitive wallet information in response to seemingly benign requests for supplementary information. In comparison, 7% admitted to procuring digital currencies from enigmatic individuals who subsequently vanished without a trace.
The Human Cost of Crypto Fraud
The TMU researchers highlighted the grave potential for monetary loss when individuals succumb to these cryptocurrency scams. Victims often face significant financial losses, including lines of credit, credit cards, or even life savings. Beyond these direct financial losses, the potential for personal and financial information theft poses additional risks, further underscoring the scale of the cryptocurrency fraud problem in Canada.
Those most susceptible to these scams are individuals with lower-income brackets and lesser educational attainment. Conversely, those earning over $50,000 annually, particularly university degree holders, demonstrated higher awareness and caution regarding potential scams.
Interestingly, the study highlighted that most Canadians harbor substantial mistrust toward cryptocurrency exchanges. Approximately half of the respondents professed ‘low trust,’ while 9% held ‘high trust’ for these entities.
Contrastingly, traditional banks enjoy a much higher degree of trust. A meager 12% express disbelief in domestic banking institutions, while almost half of the respondents hold ‘high trust’.
This article was originally sourced from www.CryptoMode.com
