Getting Help and Reporting a Scam
The best agency to contact depends on where you live and what type of scam is involved.
If you think you have spotted a scam or have been targeted by a scam, there are a number of government and law enforcement agencies in Canada that you can contact for advice or to make a report. This may help you and prevent others from being ripped off by scam operators.
Canadian Anti–Fraud Centre
www.antifraudcentre.ca
1-888-495-8501
The Competition Bureau's Information Centre
www.competitionbureau.gc.ca
1-800-348-5358
Local Scams
Contact your local consumer affairs office
Your local consumer affairs office is best placed to investigate scams that appear to come from within your own province or territory. A list of provincial and territorial consumer affairs offices can be found in the Canadian Consumer Handbook on the Office of Consumer Affairs website.
www.consumerhandbook.ca
Financial and Investment Scams
Contact Canadian Securities Administrators
Financial scams involve sales offers or promotions about financial products and services such as superannuation, managed funds, financial advice, insurance, credit or deposit accounts.
Investment scams involve share buying, foreign currencies trading, offshore investments, Ponzi schemes or prime bank investment schemes.
You can report financial and investment scams to the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) or to your local securities regulator.
www.securities-administrators.ca
Reporting Banking and Credit Card Scams
Contact your credit union or financial institution
As well as reporting these scams to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, you should alert your credit union or financial institution about any suspicious correspondence that you receive about your account. They can advise you on what to do next.
Make sure that the telephone number you use is from the phone book, your account statement or the back of your credit or ATM card.
Reporting Spam Emails and SMS
Many scams arrive by email and SMS. Visit www.fightspam.gc.ca for information on Canada's anti-spam legislation.
Fraudulent (or "phishing") emails requesting personal details can also be reported to the bank, financial institution or other organization concerned (be sure to use a phone number or email address that did not appear in the email to make your report).
Reporting Fraud, Theft and Other Crimes
Contact the police
Many scams that may breach consumer protection laws (those enforced by the Competition Bureau, other government and law enforcement agencies) may also breach the fraud provisions of the Criminal Code.
If you are the victim of fraud—you have suffered a loss because of someone's dishonesty or deception—you should consider contacting your local police (particularly if the amount involved is significant).
You should definitively contact the police if you have had your property stolen or have been threatened or assaulted by a scammer.
You may also contact one of the following organizations:
Canadian Council of Better Business Bureau
www.ccbbb.ca
Canada Revenue Agency—Charities Directorate
www.cra-arc.gc.ca
1-800-267-2384
Your local police, credit card companies, banks, and provincial records offices.
Credit bureaus can put a fraud alert on your account, which will alert lenders and creditors of potential fraud:
Equifax: 1-800-465-7166
TransUnion: 1-866-525-0262
Stay tuned for more about fraud in the coming days.
Click here for more about fraud.
* With information from the Government of Canada Competition Bureau web site and The Little Black Book of Scams published by the Competition Bureau Canada 2012.
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