A big chunk of change for Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington.
The province is investing $110,000 in the program over two years as part of an ongoing effort to fight cybercrime.
It's one of 18 non-profits, community based organizations and First Nations Chiefs and band councils sharing in a provincial fund of over $1.6 million.
“As our lives become increasingly reliant on technology, cybercrime continues to grow and affect an ever-expanding range of victims,” solicitor general Michael Kerzner said in a news release.
“Our government is committed to finding solutions to help prevent cybercrime – especially crimes such as internet fraud schemes that affect vulnerable seniors, the luring of young people via social media that can lead to human trafficking, online scams that target local businesses, and hate crimes.
"This funding will support local organizations and their police services to work together to increase awareness about these pervasive crimes and help prevent them from happening in their communities.”
For Crime Stoppers specifically, they will be working together with the OPP and Victim Services Wellington through social media and in-person engagement to "increase awareness and understanding about cybercrimes, cyber safety, reporting of these crimes, and supports for victims."
Cybercrime has been on the rise across the province and the country. According to Statistics Canada, police-reported cybercrimes have risen by 201 per cent between 2017 and 2021 in Ontario.
In Canada, reported cybercrimes are up by over 152 per cent in the same time frame.
In Guelph alone, there were 389 cybercrime incidents last year, up from 275 in 2017, a rise of just under 42 per cent in the five-year span.
