Commercial Crime – What is it?

RCMP municipal detachments and municipal policing departments generally handle investigations about low-level or local fraud, theft, small counterfeiting operations, identity theft, etc. However, many crimes that are committed in your community may be part of a larger organized criminal effort.

The Commercial Crime Section investigates:

Commercial Crime and Major Fraud

This group helps detect and deter criminal activity within the business and securities community at the local/international level. This includes corporate fraud, investment fraud, securities fraud, mass marketing fraud, credit fraud, fraudulent telemarketing and identity theft/fraud.

  • Corporate fraud can include fraud by or against a company. Fraud against a company can happen through misappropriation of corporate assets by a company senior officer or staff. Fraud by a company may be committed by providing incorrect or misleading information to shareholders or regulators – where incorrect information is provided for individual financial gain.
  • Credit card on fishing hook Credit Fraud may occur when fraudulent statements or other deceptive practices are made to a lender in order to secure financing.
  • Mass Marketing Fraud includes fraud committed by telephone, mail and Internet. Some of the more common schemes used to defraud victims are: fraudulent prize and lottery schemes, fraudulent loan offers and credit card schemes.
  • Investment Fraud is any fraud associated with investments impacting a person or company.

100 dollar billsCounterfeiting

This group helps suppress the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit currency and payment cards within Canada. The Commercial Crime Unit typically investigates when there is either organized crime involvement, substantial value or financial losses, a high degree of criminal sophistication or a requirement for special technical or investigative expertise satisfying public or national interest.


Federal Statute Enforcement

Commercial Crime Sections investigate allegations of corruption of domestic public officials, and the crimes relating to integrity of national programs.

Project Emptor

Project Emptor, a multi-agency, cross-border task force led by the RCMP for the purposes of investigating and preventing international mass marketing fraud. Project Emptor operates out of the RCMP E Division Commercial Crime offices located in Surrey, British Columbia. Partners include the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Authority, The Competition Bureau, The United States Postal Service, the FBI, and the Federal Trade Commission. This Task Force has operated since 1998.

Contact information

If you think you are a victim of commercial crime, or if you have information about this type of crime, please contact your local RCMP detachment, municipal police department or the Commercial Crime Section. You can also report fraud though External link, opens in a new windowwww.antifraudcentre.ca

Quick Facts

  • There are 34 Commercial Crime units across Canada
  • The Commercial Crime Program has over 450 RCMP members
  • Commercial Crime unit investigators have specialized knowledge and backgrounds in such fields as accounting, law, finance, economics, computer science and business administration

Legislation on Whistleblowers

The law helps protect you. Section 423 of the Criminal Code states that it is an indictable offence to intimidate anyone or their relatives with violence or threats of violence, or to deprive them of their property or tools, to persistently watch the place where that person resides, works or carries on business.

Public servants and employees of crown corporations, who disclose wrongdoing in the federal public sector, receive additional protection under the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, November, 2005.

If you have a complaint/concern, please contact your local RCMP Detachment.