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Every year criminals use scams and fraud to obtain money from individuals through many different means. These include, but are not limited to: identity theft, telemarketing scams, door-to-door scams, online scams, business scams, mail scams, email and text message scams.

While many people don’t think it could happen to them, fraudsters use increasing sophisticated tactics and target people of all ages.

Prevention

• Be careful about providing personal information, especially banking or credit card details. Only provide this information when you are certain a company is legitimate
• If in doubt, ask for written information, a call back number, references, or time to think over an offer
• Ask the advice of someone you trust such as a university staff member or even your banker

Warning Signs

• The deal sounds too good to be true
• You must provide your private financial information
• You are asked to send or accept cash, money orders, or gift cards rather than through traceable means like cheque or credit card
• The person claims to hold a position of some authority (government official, tax officer, banking officer, etc.)
• The person asks you many personal questions and attempts to be overly friendly

What to do if you are a victim

• Step 1: Gather all information about the fraud (e.g. documents, receipts, emails, text messages)
• Step 2: Report the incident to your local police or RCMP. Keep a log of all your calls
• Step 3: Contact the 
• Step 4: Report the incident to the financial institution where the money was sent
• Step 5: Report to any relevant websites if the fraud took place online
• Step 6: Report to credit bureaus to place flags on all accounts (e.g.  and )