Protect yourself from investigation scams

Banking scams

Fraudsters contact you acting as banking employees from the fraud team. They claim your account has been compromised as there's suspicious fraud activity happening. They ask to confirm your personal and financial information. They may ask you to share a one-time verification code. In some cases they may request you to send money for reimbursement fees or transfer your money to a safe-keeping account.

Government scams

Fraudsters call you posing as government officials. They claim that your Social Insurance Number (SIN) is blocked, compromised or suspended because it's linked to fraud activity. Fraudsters ask you to identity yourself by providing your SIN and other information. They advise you to withdraw your money from your current account and deposit it into a safe-keeping account, where it won't be frozen during their investigation.   

Police scams

Fraudsters contact you impersonating the police. They claim to be investigating fraud at a banking centre and need your help. They tell you they suspect the staff are committing a crime, such as giving out fake bank notes. The fraudster asks you to withdraw a large sum of money from your bank account so they can determine if it's counterfeit. They tell you the money will be put back into your account when the investigation is over. To protect your money, they sometimes ask you to transfer funds into a safe-keeping account.

Employee scams

Fraudsters contact you acting as a store employee. They inquire about a fake purchase on your credit card and advise you to call the police or your credit card company to report it. However, the fraudster remains on the line. When you pick up the phone to make the call, the fraudster plays a fake dial tone and then impersonates an official. The fraudster collects your information and asks you to transfer money to another account.