Maple Observer - Scams and deepfakes put newcomers at risk as Canadians struggle with digital deception

The scale of digital deception targeting would-be immigrants to Canada is “really scary,” says Simon Fraser University professor Ahmed Al-Rawi, who studies misinformation.

“There are a lot of fake websites based in Canada or elsewhere, saying they can facilitate the immigration process – it’s one of the scariest things I’m seeing online. So many people have lost their life savings on these scams,” said Al-Rawi, who teaches in SFU’s school of communication.

A new survey from the Canadian Journalism Foundation shows that digital deception has become a normal part of daily life for Canadians. According to the survey by The Harris Poll Canada, nearly half of Canadians encounter false or misleading information online every day or several times a week.

“Digital deception is no longer an occasional problem,” said Natalie Turvey, president and executive director of the CJF.

“When digital deception is a routine part of how a generation consumes information, we face a fundamental threat to informed citizenship and democratic discourse.”

The poll did not collect data on the impact of online misinformation on new immigrants, but they experience the same misinformation as other Canadians — and they are more vulnerable to deception.

Fake news, clickbait, deepfakes, AI-manipulated content and political disinformation are becoming more convincing and truth has become difficult to find, said Al-Rawi, who teaches misinformation studies to undergrad students.

“One of the challenges is the language barrier – navigating what is true and what is not,” he said. “And they are most likely consuming media from their homeland and that could also be polluted with misinformation.”

Canadians must become more alert when reading information online, he said. Social media sites aren’t doing enough to remove scams and the government isn’t taking action.

Al-Rawi said the best way to protect yourself is to be critical when reading online. Consider where you are seeing the information – if it’s on social media, it’s difficult to be sure it’s real. Check websites and confirm that hyperlinks are accurate. Crosscheck the information and look for credible sources that have the same details.

Karim Karim, professor of journalism and communication at Carleton University, said digital deception adds another layer of complexity to the lives of new immigrants who are already trying to adapt to a new country and all of the systems they need to learn.

“If people are out to disinform, scam you, imagine how destabilizing and demoralizing it is,” Karim said.

“New immigrants are easier targets. They rely on people, trust them, especially when they’re pretending to be banks or government officials.”

He said deception and scams aren’t new, but they have become so sophisticated that it is hard to find the truth.

“We really have to have our guard up – and not just new Canadians. Healthy scepticism should be the order of the day when consuming information on the phone, TV, radio and computer,” Karim said.

“Take your time, don’t rush. Make other calls. Be a skeptic. We cannot let ourselves be completely pessimistic, but we have to be smarter.

“It’s here, it’s going to stay and it’s going to get worse. We have to be more vigilant and educate ourselves about AI. It has its advantages, but like every technology, it comes with the other side.”