The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA), working with the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), published initial results from a newly launched initiative to combat fraudulent investment and cryptocurrency scam websites targeting Canadian investors. The effort led to the deactivation of more than 3,900 fake investment platforms, involving more than 6,900 individual URLs. The deactivations were carried out between June 5, 2025, and November 23, 2025, following procurement and testing led by the Ontario Securities Commission on behalf of the CSA and CIRO. Regulators encouraged Canadians to report suspicious sites to their local securities regulator and reiterated common fraud indicators such as unregistered individuals or firms, promises of high or guaranteed returns, unsolicited contact and pressure to act, fake celebrity endorsements, withdrawal-related payment requests, and fraud recovery scams, alongside a reminder to verify registration via the CSA’s National Registration Search.
Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization 2025-12-11
Canadian Securities Administrators and Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization report takedown of more than 3,900 fraudulent investment websites
The Canadian Securities Administrators and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization deactivated over 3,900 fraudulent investment and cryptocurrency scam websites targeting Canadians. This initiative, from June to November 2025, involved more than 6,900 URLs. Regulators urged reporting suspicious sites and highlighted common fraud indicators, emphasizing verifying registration through the CSA’s National Registration Search.