Financial fraud involves the use of deception to illegally obtain money, property, or personal information. Common types include identity theft, credit and debit card fraud, online scams, investment fraud, and phishing schemes.
These crimes can target individuals, businesses, or financial institutions and often cause serious financial and emotional harm to victims.
If you think you may be a victim of a fraud or identity theft, there are some key steps you should take immediately to reduce your risk of losing more money, and to avoid being scammed again:
- Stop all communication with the scammer
- Stop making any major financial decisions until your accounts are secured
- Gather all records you have of the scam
- Notify your financial institution and other companies where you have an account that may have been affected
- Change all your passwords to your accounts, including social media sites
- Protect your devices that you use to communicate with the scammer, such as your computer, laptop, tablet, and cellphone
- Ensure security or operating software on your device is up-to-date
- Install anti-spyware protection on your computer
- Perform a virus scan of your hard drive and files
- Do not send your personal, credit card or online banking details in an email
- Put an alert on your credit report by contacting Equifax Canada or TransUnion Canada
If you are a victim of fraud or identity theft, call our non-emergency number at 1-705-370-3141 to file a report. Gather all information about the fraud, including receipts, copies of emails, text messages, and documents.
If you have received a text, email, telephone call and have not provided any personal information or lost any money, you do not need to report this to the police. Please contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) at 1-888-495-8501 or www.antifraudcentre.ca to file a report. The CAFC website includes information about common frauds and scams and how to protect yourself.