How Toronto Police Are Fighting Back Against AI-Powered Crime

How Toronto Police Are Fighting Back Against AI-Powered Crime
Byline: Innovate360 Editorial Team

In 2025, artificial intelligence is fueling a new era of crime—deepfakes, phishing bots, and synthetic identities are tricking victims and overwhelming police forces. But Toronto Police and their federal partners are adapting, taking real steps to fight back against this wave of digital deception. Here’s what they’re doing, based on confirmed facts from official reports and public sources.

AI Meets Law Enforcement: Inside the RCMP's Playbook

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), through its National Cybercrime Coordination Centre (NC3), is expanding its use of technology to respond to AI-driven threats. NC3 works closely with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) to process fraud reports—over 108,000 in 2024 alone—and is developing systems to detect patterns and connect cybercrime cases across the country.

They’re also part of joint enforcement operations that target major fraud networks. One such example: their participation in international takedowns of marketplaces like Genesis Market and LabHost, both of which facilitated identity theft on a massive scale.

Project Déjà Vu: A Real-World Win in Toronto

In April 2024, the Toronto Police Service’s Financial Crimes Unit announced the results of Project Déjà Vu, a long-running investigation into synthetic identity fraud. With the help of regional and federal partners, TPS dismantled a network that had created over 680 fake identities. These identities were used to fraudulently obtain credit, open bank accounts, and launder money, causing over CA$4 million in confirmed financial losses.

Twelve individuals were arrested, and 102 charges were laid. The case showed that with collaboration and perseverance, even highly technical fraud can be unraveled.

Backed by Strategy: Canada’s National Response

In February 2025, Canada launched its updated National Cyber Security Strategy. This strategy introduced several key initiatives to enhance the country’s digital resilience, including:

• Establishing a Canadian Cyber Defence Collective to foster public-private cooperation.

• Launching a Cyber Attribution Data Centre to improve the identification and tracking of cybercrime actors.

While specific budget details are not fully disclosed, government releases describe the investment as “substantial” and aimed at scaling national capabilities to tackle growing cyber threats, including those involving AI.

Public Education Is Front and Centre

The RCMP and the CAFC continue to play a central role in educating the public. During Fraud Prevention Month, they ran targeted campaigns about high-tech fraud, voice-cloning scams, and deepfake investment pitches. These campaigns help raise awareness about AI-assisted deception and encourage reporting—key steps in building better intelligence.

Final Word: Turning the Tide

AI-fueled crime is a real and growing challenge. But law enforcement is evolving. With strong coordination between local and federal agencies, targeted enforcement operations, and a national strategy in motion, Toronto Police and the RCMP are actively building the tools and partnerships they need to respond.

At Innovate360, we believe staying informed is essential. These are early steps—but they’re meaningful ones—and they show that Canada’s law enforcement community is taking AI-related crime seriously.

The battle against AI-powered fraud is on. And the good guys are getting smarter.