When Sybil Plosker needed work done on her roof, she thought she could save money by going with a man who said he was in independent contractor.

But instead of having her roof fixed, Plosker got soaked and became yet another victim of fraud.

"He said 'I'm independent, I need half of the money for material,'" she recalled. "I didn't think twice. I just wrote him a check and that was the last I heard of him."

Plosker may have learned her lesson, but there are many people out there who are unsuspecting targets of cons and criminals.

Many of whom are seniors; it's estimated two out of every five telemarketing scams involve people over the age of 60.

And officials with Age and Opportunity say the advent of the internet has moved fraud beyond the usual door-to-door scams like the one Plosker witnessed, and is now affecting people in both urban and rural areas.

According to PhoneBusters, the national fraud police agency, Canadians lost more than $11 million this year to fraud -- and those numbers are just from the period from January to April.

So law enforcement agencies, Age and Opportunity, and the Consumers Association of Canada have worked together to create a video to educate consumers about how to protect themselves against fraud.

Len Terlinski of the Manitoba Securities Commission said it's an important component in the fraud fight.

"Usually we're investigating after the fact," he told CTV Consumerwatch reporter Eleanor Coopsammy. "So it's really important we warn the public about scams that are out there."

Age and Opportunity intends to distribute the video to as many people as it can.

"We're hoping to reach 200 seniors agencies or groups throughout the province for the next three years," said Maurice Allard.

The video is meant for consumers of all ages because young people are now becoming more attractive targets.

Malina Roos' son was just 15-years-old when he was convinced to cash a fraudulent cheque through his account.

"Within a matter of days he had lost $800 dollars," she said. "The original cheque was only for about $250, but of course, once he was able to access my son's account, he just kept taking money out."

The RCMP estimates that for every nine Canadians victimized by crime, only one will report it to PhoneBusters or the online police detachment, Recol.ca. Often it's because victims don't where to turn, according to Cpl. Phil Carver of the RCMP Commercial Crime Section.

"If you're victim of crime in Manitoba, the bad guy lives in Edmonton, you wired the money to Chicago for a product from Halifax, who do you report it to? Report it to Recol and our website will disperse that complaint nationally to each of the applicable agencies," he said. 

Reporting fraud is one key message of the video. The other is that consumers need to question everything before handing over money, even if you know the person.

The video, called Fact or Fraud, will be available on Wednesday, June 11. You can borrow a copy from the Manitoba branch of the Consumers Association of Canada which is located at Confusion Corner. You can contact the RCMP for a free copy as well. Age and Opportunity said it is sending copies out to seniors' organizations as well.

With a report from CTV's Eleanor Coopsammy

Here's some contact information: