The Windsor Police Service is reporting an increase in fraud cases, largely driven by cases of identity theft.
According to statistics released Wednesday, fraud cases in Windsor and Amherstburg were up 17 per cent in January, with 172 cases compared to 147 in January 2025.
Constable Bianca Jackson says they're seeing people leaving their identification, wallets, debit cards, and credit cards in their vehicles.
"Sometimes vehicles are left unlocked, or they're broken into. Another trend we're recently seeing is people leaving their wallets in gym locker rooms or public areas where there is a locked room left unattended or broken into," she says.
Jackson says when somebody's debit card or credit card is stolen, the tap feature on the debit cards and credit cards is being used very, very quickly.
"Sometimes before somebody realizes that their credit card or debit card has been stolen, that card has been used several times," she says.
Jackson says data breaches are also a factor in the identity theft cases, and people need to pay attention to their financial and their credit record via Equifax.
"We live in a day and age where we're putting credit card information and personal information online, and we have to continuously change passwords and check our credit very, very often," she says.
Among the other statistics, property crimes in Windsor and Amherstburg were down 11.9 per cent in January compared to January 2025, while crimes against people were down 2.8 per cent year-over-year.