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Canadian Securities Regulators Disrupt Over 7,500 Fraudulent Investment Websites

Favicon for www.osc.ca Ontario Securities Commission News
Published March 3rd, 2026
Detected March 6th, 2026
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Summary

Canadian securities regulators announced the disruption of over 7,586 fraudulent investment and crypto scam websites between June 2025 and February 2026. This initiative, part of Fraud Prevention Month, highlights ongoing efforts to protect investors from online fraud.

What changed

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) have released updated figures detailing their success in disrupting fraudulent investment websites. Between June 5, 2025, and February 12, 2026, CSA members facilitated the deactivation of over 7,586 fake investment platforms and crypto scam websites, involving more than 13,000 individual URLs. This action underscores the regulators' commitment to using technological capabilities and collaborative efforts to combat online investment fraud.

While this notice primarily serves to inform and highlight regulatory achievements, it implicitly reinforces the need for investors to remain vigilant against online investment scams. Investors are urged to check the registration of any person offering investment advice or opportunities using the CSA's National Registration Search. The CSA will begin incorporating these website disruption statistics into their annual Year in Review publication starting in 2026, signaling a continued focus on this area of enforcement and investor protection.

What to do next

  1. Review investor education materials on identifying red flags of investment fraud.
  2. Ensure internal compliance procedures address risks associated with online investment platforms.

Source document (simplified)

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Canadian securities regulators’ release updated numbers on disarming more than 7,500 fraudulent investment websites



CSA

March 3, 2026

For Immediate Release

CALGARY – In recognition of Fraud Prevention Month, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) today released updated results from its effort to disrupt fraudulent investment websites targeting Canadians.

Between June 5, 2025, and February 12, 2026, CSA members worked together to successfully facilitate the deactivation of more than 7,586 fake investment platforms and crypto scam websites involving more than 13,000 individual URLs associated with those sites.

“Online investment scams continue to pose a serious risk to Canadians, and we are using a full range of regulatory and enforcement tools, including advanced technological capabilities, to proactively identify and disrupt fraudulent websites,” said Stan Magidson, Chair of the CSA and Chair and CEO of the Alberta Securities Commission. “This initiative strengthens our ability to protect investors and underscores the importance of working closely with regulatory partners, industry and law enforcement to combat online investment fraud.”

Combatting online fraud is a shared responsibility. Over the past year, securities regulators have intensified their coordinated and cross-sectoral efforts to disrupt fraudulent activity, prevent online harm, and protect and educate investors. In addition, the CSA recognizes and supports initiatives by industry groups and law enforcement agencies aimed at addressing this growing threat.

This Fraud Prevention Month, the CSA continues to urge investors to remain vigilant and to look out for common red flags of investment fraud. Investors should always check the registration of anyone who tries to sell them an investment or give them investment advice with the CSA’s National Registration Search.

The CSA will begin including statistics about deactivated websites in its annual Year in Review publication starting in 2026.

Suspect you or someone you know is a victim of an investment scam?

If you feel like you or someone you know has been approached or is a victim of a fraudulent investment, contact your local securities regulator.

The CSA, the council of the securities regulators of Canada’s provinces and territories, coordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Ilana Kelemen
Canadian Securities Administrators
[email protected]

For investor inquiries:

For investor inquiries, please contact your local securities regulator.

Source

Analysis generated by AI. Source diff and links are from the original.

Classification

Agency
Various
Published
March 3rd, 2026
Instrument
Notice
Legal weight
Non-binding
Stage
Final
Change scope
Substantive

Who this affects

Applies to
Investors Financial advisers
Geographic scope
National (Canada)

Taxonomy

Primary area
Securities
Operational domain
Compliance
Topics
Fraud Prevention Cybersecurity Investor Protection

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