An open, slightly cheeky invitation. Strategic Crypto Reserve is not the police or the RCMP, isn’t affiliated with them, and nobody at the detachment has endorsed this. I just think it’s a great idea.

Here’s my pitch to the Comox Valley RCMP: picture all 400 members, from the front counter on Ryan Road to the Bike Unit, subscribed to one service that takes scam websites off the internet. I think it’s a wonderful idea, and I’ll explain why in about the time it takes to drink a Tim’s.

1. Police inboxes get phished too

A badge doesn’t protect an inbox. Officers get the same fake Canada Post, CRA and bank emails as the rest of us, and they also get extra ones aimed at their work email. A clicked link can expose work systems, so stopping phishing early matters even more for a police force.

2. Scammers love pretending to be the RCMP

Fake “RCMP” calls, emails and arrest-warrant texts are an old favourite. Every member who finds a fake site using the RCMP’s name can send it to us. We then report it to the registrar, the host and the email provider that keep it running, so it stops catching Comox Valley seniors.  Some even claim a crime isn’t committed simply because there involved and perhaps bank themselves at BMO and know how things work there.

3. It frees up time for real police work

Chasing a phishing site through WHOIS records, hosting abuse desks and Google Safe Browsing takes hours. We do the paperwork. Officers forward the email as an .eml file and get a short PDF case report back. The report lists what we found, who we reported it to, how they answered, and whether the site was still up after 7 days. That leaves officers free for the work only they can do.

4. The math is friendly

One case is C$49. The monthly plan is C$29 and covers up to five cases a month. At 400 members that’s 2,000 possible takedowns a month, from the Comox Valley alone, for less than one overtime shift per member per year. And if someone just wants a quick check first, there’s a free is-this-site-legit lookup.

5. It’s local

This is a Vancouver Island service. It’s the same island that gave us the Cadborosaurus legend, and the same people who write the monthly AI news roundup. Our day job is the AI data center cost configurator. Our takedown work comes from years of fighting spam on our own mail server.

What it isn’t

To be clear, this doesn’t replace police work. We don’t do funds recovery, we never hack back or contact scammers, and we can’t guarantee a takedown, because only the registrar or host can remove a site. If someone has lost money, they should call their bank, then the police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.

Still, 400 members each knocking a few scam sites off every month would make the Comox Valley a very unfriendly place to run a phishing campaign. That’s why I think it’s a wonderful idea.

Buy Now: Phishing Takedown Service
C$49 per case or C$29/month for up to 5 cases