Street crime is down. But the “bad guys,” as Det. Mike Gervais calls them, haven’t gone away.

Fraud, all types of it, is on the rise.

Yet, this brand of crime isn’t mentioned on city council’s list of priorities for the police. And you won’t find it on the police crime mapping website. Investigating documents may not be as sexy as solving a murder, or breaking up a drug ring.

Yet, the effects of fraud – identify theft, and personal loss of money – is devastating, time consuming and just plain nasty.

“Fraud is often through organized crime. They can make more money than (they do) selling drugs,” says Gervais. The investigations can be so complex they can take years. For instance, mortgage frauds from three years ago are just being probed now now.

How does fraud look? Let me count the ways.

Mortgage fraud. Someone pays you to sign for their mortgage, then sells the house. You have no house, just a mortgage. Often the signee is in on the scam.

ATM and debit card fraud. Gervais doesn’t use debit; and he and his wife have only one credit card.

Computer hacking. Check your bank and credit card statements religiously. Watch for withdrawals on your account.

Employee theft. Police aren’t in the “recovery business,” which is why cases often go to civil suit first. It can take years for a thief to be charged.

Investment scams. If the organization isn’t registered in Alberta, don’t invest.

eBay. You know that muscle car you bought from the guy in B.C.? You will never get it. That B.C. crook is now being taken to court in three different jurisdictions for $1.5 million. eBay crime is tough to crack – IP addresses can be masked. Crime cuts across country boundaries.

Defrauding less than $5,000 is the leading fraud crime in Calgary, followed by credit card forgery or trafficking, then fraud more than $5,000.

So, while our streets may be safer, our money  is not. Fraud is a scourge. We need city council to list it as a priority. Staff up and map it just like robberies. Fraud investigators, your work is sexy to us.