Types of Scams

Employment Scams

• Scammers will pose as a fake job opportunity that are 'too good to be true'. They are usually promising a high income with minimum effort.
  • These fake opportunities can present themselves on legitimate job boards such as LinkedIn or Indeed.
  • Usually offer work from home.
  • These opportunities will seem expedited by offering you the position with no interview process or pre-screening.
  • The fake employer may ask you for very personal banking information that is usually not asked for when accepting an employment opportunity. (ex. Credit card number)
  • The job posting may not have detailed information on who to contact.

 CRA Scam

• A scammer will call and claim to be an employee of the Canada Revenue Agency or Service Canada and try and steal your personal information.
  • They usually state that you have a compromised SIN number, outstanding case against you, tax owing, unpaid balances or claim you have committed a financial crime.
  • These calls are known to be threatening and urgent. They claim that you will be arrested, fined or deported if you do not comply.
  • You are usually asked to pay the fine in gift cards or bitcoin.
  • If you are unsure, you can ask for the name of the agent, and call CRA at 1-800-959-8281.
  • If CRA confirms that they did not call you, report the scam to Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/.

 Investment Scam

• Fraudsters will contact you to with an exciting investment opportunity with unrealistic rates of return.
  • Be cautious of incoming phone calls with unsolicited investment opportunities or general advice on investing.
  • These ‘opportunities’ usually have a large rate of return and require little to no risk.

 Romance Scams

• Fraudsters create a fictional online personality to attract individuals that are looking for relationships on legitimate dating websites.
  • Once they establish a relationship, they usually ask for financial assistance
  • Do not share your personal information with anyone you meet online.
  • Do not send money to anyone you meet online.
  • Reverse Google image searches can be done with the fraudsters profile picture in order to see if this picture has been used under another person’s name.

 Immigration Scams

• These scams target newcomers to Canada by convincing you that something went wrong in the process of immigrating and that they owe a fee, otherwise they will be deported, and police will be called.
  • These calls sometimes tend to be very aggressive or threatening.
  • These scams usually take place over the phone,
  • They may threaten to harm your family or damage your home or property.
  • You may be asked to pay the fee using a prepaid credit cards, gift cards or money transfer.

  Phishing and Smishing Scams

• Phishing refers to when you get unsolicited emails that claim to be form a legitimate organization and you are provided to verify yourself via email. Smishing refers to receiving the same unsolicited message via text message.
  • These messages often have the logo of the organization they are attempting to impersonate.
  • The message will have a sense of urgency and include a call to action.
  • They will seek your personal information.

 Cheque Fraud Scam

• Typically, someone would send you a cheque, ask you to deposit the money in your account and then requests you forward most of the funds by wire transfer, E-Transfer, or money order somewhere else.
  • Normally, this can happen via job posting for an Internet collection agent, a lottery or inheritance notification, or overpayment for something you're selling where you’re asked to return the extra funds
  • Cheque fraud is one of the riskiest types of fraud for members, as you will be held liable (under the terms of the Vancity Account Services Guide) for any credits deposited to your account from a fraudulent cheque.
  • For more information on cheque fraud, visit [Insert link to Cheque fraud page]

 Online Shopping Scam

• Scammers are able to create accounts on legitimate auction websites (such as eBay, Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji) and advertise products at a lower price than you would normally see.
  • These enticing deals may convince you to purchase, however you will either not receive the product that was mentioned, or you will receive a lower quality version of a similar product.
  • Fraudsters can also lure you in with ‘Sponsored’ posts on social media websites that seem genuine, but when followed lead to poor quality websites.

 Scam Prevention Tips:

• No Financial Institution or Government of Canada will ever ask for immediate payment by INTERAC E-Transfer, Bitcoin or Prepaid credit/gift cards.
• Do your research: Always verify that the organization someone is calling/emailing or mailing you regarding, is legitimate before taking any action.
• Most reputable organizations will never ask for your personal information through email or text.
• Be cautious of the sense of urgency or threatening behavior.
• Look for typos
• Don't click on links or attachments from senders you do not know
• Use anti-malware software on all your devices to keep them safe
• When your device prompts you to update, don’t ignore, and update it right away. These updates sometimes include updated security.
• Navigate to pages using a trusted search engine, rather than clicking links on emails/texts.
• If you're not expecting an INTERAC e-Transfer, don't accept it.
• Turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS when you are not using it.
• Check Website URL’s, to ensure you are on the correct website. Scammers often attempt to mimic similar websites in order to trick you.
• If you feel as though you are pressured to commit to any large payment or contracts, it is most likely a scam.