Edmonton city police Det. Scott Abbott, with financial crimes, gives a seminar on fraud prevention at the Central Lions Seniors Recreation Centre, 11113 113 St., in Edmonton Monday March 3, 2025. Photo by David Bloom Photo by David Bloom /David Bloom/Postmedia

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Big fraud is going through the roof in Alberta, show the latest RCMP statistics.

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While rates for all other kinds of crime are either flat or down over five years (in which the province grew like a weed), big fraud — greater than $5,000 — has rocketed up from 744 cases in 2022 to 1,471 in 2026, nearly a 100 per cent hike in five years.

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“Big fraud is up. They’re going for the big fish,” said Fraser Logan, senior spokesman for the Alberta RCMP.

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“All police jurisdictions are dealing with this right now,” he said.

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Logan said he suspects recent extortion cases are contributing as an emerging fraud trend.

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Over five years, there’s been a 29 per cent increase in fraud under $5,000. RCMP stats reflect January to May figures. In 2022, there were 4,677 fraud reports, the number increasing each year to 2025, when there were 6,058 reports, and roughly the same in 2026.

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“I imagine a lot of that is probably extortion,” Logan said.

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The big cities have been plagued with extortion rings, often targeting members of the South Asian community, accompanying extortion with threats, arson and gun violence.

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In some cases, national extortion cases have been linked to crime rings based in South Asia, most often originating in India.

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Last week, Calgary police charged 16 South Asians who were not Canadian citizens with extortion and other crimes.

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“These criminal activities have understandably led to concern from families and business owners, prompting coordinated investigations by local and national law enforcement,” Calgary Police Service said in a statement.

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Some cases have been really, really big frauds.

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In October, Marc St. Pierre was sentenced in Red Deer court to seven years in prison. The RCMP’s Provincial Financial Crime Team charged the Calgary resident for fraud-related offences after embezzling millions of dollars from his clients while serving as a senior financial advisor. A total of sixteen victims identified in the Red Deer area suffered a combined loss of nearly $5 million.

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In May, the RCMP Provincial Financial Crime Team (PFCT) arrested and charged four individuals for fraud and money laundering offences between 2023 and 2025. The accused are alleged to have used forged documentation to open suspicious accounts at various banks across Alberta, making large deposits with forged cheques and then withdrawing cash. Banks were targeted in Strathmore, Camrose, Athabasca, Edson, Hinton, Olds, Cold Lake, Brooks, Lloydminster, and Fort Saskatchewan.

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There are dozens of fraud subcategories, meanwhile. There’s even been one report of fraud by the practice of witchcraft and sorcery in 2022, and none since then.