Types of Fraud

• Break off all contact (email and/or phone).
• Do not send more money, you will not receive the promised good or service.
• If you paid with your credit card or debit card, notify your bank and cancel your cards.
• Keep copies of emails, letters or any other documents you have sent or received.
• Report the incident to your local police.
• Report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
• If you provided any personal information, notify the credit reporting agencies (Equifax, TransUnion).

Learn more about how to report.

• Reflect on factors such as, 'Why might this situation involve me?' Consider questions like: Did you recently purchase a lottery ticket? Do you have a connection with this individual? Does the job offer align with your qualifications and experience? How might this person have obtained your information?"
• Never send money up-front, even for a possible job opportunity.
• Never disclose your banking information.
• Be suspicious when someone tells you that you cannot talk about a situation to someone else.
• Never make a payment under pressure.
• Be suspicious of emails with bad spelling and grammar.
• Look at the email address or phone number and ask yourself if it is consistent with the story, you are being told.
• Always be skeptical if you are asked to make a payment through a money transfer service or by prepaid cards.

Call your bank and any financial institution(s) you have an account with and notify them of the fraud. If you made the payment using your credit card, tell them you want to dispute the charge. Most banks encourage you to call within 30 days of your statement date. If your credit card or debit card was compromised, ask them to cancel your cards and reissue you new ones. If your Personal Identification Number (PIN) was compromised, ask them to change it.

Call the non-emergency phone number of your local police service to provide information to report this fraud.

Call both credit reporting agencies. Consider having a fraud alert put on your credit report. A fraud alert means that creditors must check with you to verify that it was you that made the request.

TransUnion (Canada)

Equifax (Canada)

Canada Post

Call Canada Post to make sure your mail is not being forwarded to a different address.

Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

Call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC). The CAFC collects data on mass marketing fraud, internet and ID fraud. They are not an investigative agency. You can report fraud by phone at 1 888 495-8501 (hours of operations: Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 4:45 PM EST) or online through the fraud reporting system.

You will need to sign in with a GCKey or Sign-In Partners login information (such as online banking log-in information) for the security and protection of your information.

For more information, please visit the CAFC Website.

• Keep your cards in a safe place and never lend your card to anyone. Only carry what is necessary in your wallet.
• Check your statements for unknown transactions.
• Sign any new cards as soon as they arrive and cut expired cards through the magnetic strip and chip.
• Keep your PIN confidential – no one needs to know your PIN except you.
• Your bank or the police will never call or email to ask for personal information such as your credit card number, debit card number, expiry date, PIN, or the security number on the back of your credit card.
• Be aware of your surroundings when entering your PIN into the keypad on any machine (Automatic Banking Machines and Point of Sale machines).
• Always keep your card in view when making a purchase.

• Call your relative or friend to ensure they are safe.
• If someone claims there's a gag order to keep you from talking about it, it's likely a scam. Real court orders don't stop you from asking for help.
• Do not send any more money.
• Report the incident to your local police service.
• Report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
• If you provided any personal information, notify your bank and credit reporting agencies immediately (Equifax and TransUnion).

Learn more about how to report.

• Never make any payment under pressure.
• Verify the caller’s identity by asking questions strangers couldn’t possibly know the answers to.
• Resist saying your family member’s name before they do as they can use it going forward.
• Be aware that even though the voice on the line may sound exactly like your family member, this does not mean it is them.
• Take time to verify the story, call relatives or friends to confirm their whereabouts.
• Do not send money or give out personal information to anyone you don’t know or trust.

• Do not make payments for outstanding accounts you did not open.
• Notify your bank and cancel your cards if necessary.
• Report the incident to your local police.
• Report the incident to the credit reporting agencies (Equifax and TransUnion) and ask them to place a fraud alert on your credit file.
• Report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

• Never provide personal information to someone you don’t know or trust.
• Avoid using confidential information on public computers or open WIFI hotspots.
• Create long, strong and unique passwords for each of your online accounts.
• When possible, use two-factor authentication (2FA) to protect your online accounts.
• Shred and destroy documents with personal information.
• Install a lock on your mailbox.
• Only make payments on trusted websites – look for the https:// in your browser address bar and a closed padlock symbol next to the website address.
• Request your credit report from Equifax and TransUnion regularly and carefully review it.

Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, you may not be able to prevent identity theft completely. Learning how to recognize identity theft early can help you put a stop to it and limit further use of your information. Look out for these signs:

• Are you receiving mail and/or telephone calls about accounts you never opened?
• Are you missing mail you normally receive?
• Have you been contacted by a collection agency for a defaulted account you never opened?
• Has your credit report shown new accounts or debts you do not hold?

• Call your insurance company.
• For auto-insurance fraud, report the incident to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
• For benefits fraud, report the incident to the Canadian Health and Life Insurance Association.

• Keep all documentation.
• If you were in a car accident, take picture of the damages.
• Don’t be pressured. Call your insurance company for a list of approved service providers or to ask any questions you may have.
• If you feel intimidated or unsafe, call your local police.

• Do not invest more money.
• If friends or family members also invested in this opportunity, tell them about your suspicion and advise them not to invest any more money.
• Keep a copy of all documentation you have regarding the investment.
• Report the incident to your local police.
• Report the incident to the Ontario Securities Commission.

• If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Be careful of “guaranteed” results. Every investment carries some sort of risk.
• Be careful if the investment is described as a ‘secret deal’ or a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.
• Don’t make an investment under pressure.
• Make sure you understand how the investment works.
• Talk to your financial institution or adviser, lawyer or accountant about the opportunity for a second opinion.
• Through the Canadian Securities Administrators, check the registration of any person or business trying to sell you an investment or give you investment advice.
• Request written financial information about the investment opportunity and compare it with what you have been told.

• Notify your bank and cancel your credit/debit card.
• Report the incident to your local police.
• Report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
• Report the incident to credit reporting agencies.

• Be certain about the sender’s email address or phone number.
• Check for poor grammar or spelling.
• Do not click on links inside emails or texts.
• Do not open file attachments from an email address you don’t know or trust.
• Never reply to emails classified as spam, even to unsubscribe.
• If you’re not sure, call a trusted number for the alleged sender to ask about the email/text you received. Do not use the number or email address provided in the email/text.
• Get a trusted antivirus program and update the software frequently.
• Only make payments on secure websites after checking their authenticity.

• Report the seller/buyer to the website you bought/sold the goods from.
• If you used your credit card to pay for the goods, call the number on the back of your card to report it as fraud.
• If you used your bank card, notify your bank.
• Report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

• If the offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.
• Before trusting an online seller, do your research. Look closely at other listings of the seller and read the reviews posted on the website or online marketplace.
  • To spot a fake five-star review, look for generic language, suspiciously positive profiles, lack of detail, and patterns in timing and wording.
• Be cautious of sellers posting items online for a fraction of the typical price. It may seem like an attractive deal, but you could receive an item of poor quality or a bad imitation of what you expected.
• Meet in public and safe places. Check for safe transaction zones monitored by police near you.
• Don’t provide your personal information to people you don’t know or trust.
• As long as you can pay your monthly bill on time, consider using a credit card when shopping online as many credit card companies offer fraud protection.

• Cut off all communication with that person.
• Take a screenshot of their dating profile if it is still active.
• Record their phone number, email address, social media handles and keep a copy of all the messages you have exchanged.
• Block their number and social media accounts.
• Do not send any more money.
• If you provided them with confidential information (full name, date of birth, address, SIN number, banking information, etc.) report it to your bank and credit reporting agencies.
• Report the incident to your local police.
• Report them to the dating or social media website you met them on.
• Report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

• If the person sounds too good to be true, they probably are.
• Do a reverse image search of their profile images, and search their name, phone numbers, profiles, and the profiles of their online friends.
• Be careful if someone you meet online tells you they love you very quickly and without seeing you in person.
• Be careful if you try to set up a meeting or a video call and they always find an excuse not to meet you, show their face, or talk on the phone.
• Don’t share any personal information (date of birth, address, passwords or banking information) with anyone you don’t know or trust.
• Do not send intimate pictures or videos of yourself. These pictures could be used against you at a later time.
• Never send money to someone you have never met in person, even if they claim it is for an emergency.