'The world has changed': Manitoba government taking steps to combat cybercrime

The Manitoba government announced new funding on Wednesday to help the Winnipeg Police Service combat cybercrime.

Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced the investment on Wednesday, saying the funding will help provide equipment and training to police officers.

“Between 2016 and 2020, the Winnipeg Police Service saw an increase of 370 per cent of reported cyber crimes, including ransomware, other attacks, and cryptocurrency theft,” Goertzen said at a Wednesday news conference.

“It is vitally important that we shine that bright light into the dark places that aren’t all physical places, but are often cyber places where criminals lurk and are looking for victims.”

To help combat cybercrime, police are receiving $100,000 from the Criminal Property Forfeiture Fund for five additional members of the cybercrimes team to participate in the cryptocurrency tracing certified examiner training program. The funding will also help with the purchase of specialized software to trace illegal financial cyberspace activities.

“We sometimes visualize crime as something that police are on the street, in cars, going around the community…but the world has changed,” the minister said.

“There are many, many victims who are found on the internet or in cyberspace. In darker places that we don’t always see and can’t always reach easily.”

The province’s investment comes after the Winnipeg Police Service recently reported a spike in schemes targeting elderly people. Last week, police said it received 15 ‘grandparent scam’ reports in six days, which resulted in about $100,000 in losses.

Police believe these frauds were committed by organized groups.

“In order to combat the rise in the use of cryptocurrencies in criminal enterprises, the police must adapt,” said Sgt. Trevor Thompson of the Winnipeg police’s financial crimes unit.

“Specialized tools and training are required to enhance the knowledge and ability of investigators to conduct thorough investigations into crimes using these cryptocurrencies.”