Recognizing and responding to signs of fraud targeting seniors

You receive a text message or email from a well-known institution – where you’re not a customer – explaining that your file is out of date and threatening to close your account. You’re then urged to click on an URL to confirm your personal information. You note that the message is impersonal and contains many grammatical errors.

How should you respond?

• Don’t click on any link from an unknown source.
• Report the fraudulent email to your email service or block the sender from your mobile telecommunications provider and delete it.
  

Caution!

Be wary of text messages supposedly sent by reputable institutions. Such institutions will never ask you to confirm personal information or send funds in this way.

What is phishing? (Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre)

What does phishing look like? (Government of Canada)

Someone contacts you by telephone or email explaining that a member of your family is injured and needs money to pay hospital bills. The person pressures you by telling you that if you don’t pay the amount demanded with cryptocurrency or gift cards or through a bank transfer, your loved one won’t be able to leave the hospital.

How should you respond?

• Hang up immediately and contact the family member directly.
• Don’t give in to blackmail by sending money to this individual.

Caution!

Hospitals won’t demand that you pay bills with cryptocurrency or gift cards or through a bank transfer. They also won’t use a threatening and disrespectful tone.

Grandparent scam and Emergency (Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre)

You get a call from someone claiming to work for a telecommunications company or a well-known Internet service provider. The caller tells you that a problem was detected on your computer (such as a virus) or that there is an issue with your Wi-Fi or firewall, and offers to access your computer remotely to fix it for you. They are friendly and seem sincere.

How should you respond?

• Ask for the caller’s identity, hang up, and call the company directly to make sure the call is valid.
• Never give out personal information such as your name, address, telephone number, social insurance number, credit card or bank account numbers, or passwords.
• Never give remote access to your devices, unless it’s someone you trust.

Caution!

No technician can access your computer remotely without your authorization, so they cannot tell if your computer is infected or has a problem.

Common scams that older adults need to watch out for (Government of Canada)

You meet someone on a dating site and gradually establish a virtual relationship with them. The person claims to have feelings for you but has never met you. Every time you suggest a video call, they claim to have a problem with their camera or postpone the appointment.

You’ve been talking for a while when an unexpected event happens in their life: an accident, a serious problem, frozen accounts, illness, etc. They ask you to help them out by sending them some money.

How should you respond?

• Talk about the relationship with trusted family and friends.
• Despite the difficult situation the person seems to be going through, don’t send them any money – it’s most likely a scam.
• Never give out personal information such as your address, social insurance number, credit card or bank account numbers, or passwords.
• End the relationship as soon as you notice unusual behaviour.

Caution!

Be wary of user profiles that are incomplete, very recent, or somewhat impersonal. You should also be wary of photos that seem to have been taken from a magazine, especially if the person you're talking to has only one photo. It could very well be a stolen photo.

Romance scams (Autorité des marchés financiers)

You make friends with a member of the gardening group you usually visit every week. After several discussions about investments, the person proposes an incredible investment that they want to share only with you. They ask you to keep the offer a secret and warn you that you have very little time to invest because the offer won’t last for long.

How should you respond?

• Check that the company is listed in the Register of firms and individuals authorized to practice.
• Don’t sign anything right away! Take the time to learn more about the investment from a financial advisor, and don’t be tempted by the short duration of the offer.

Caution!

Be wary of offers that are too good to be true, especially when you’re asked to keep an investment secret. This is often a tactic to isolate you and prevent you from seeking advice from people in your immediate circle.

Register of firms and individuals authorized to practice (Autorité des marchés financiers)

Fraud Among Friends (Financial and Consumer Services Commission)

Someone you don’t know contacts you by telephone or email and guarantees you a high return if you invest in a company that is about to be listed on the stock exchange. The person suggests that once the company goes public, the value of the shares will go up. They also explain that the investment is usually offered to very wealthy people, but they’ll make an exception for you. They’re very convincing and charming.

How should you respond?

• Check if the company is listed in the Register of firms and individuals authorized to practice.
• Don’t sign anything right away! Take the time to learn more about the investment from a financial advisor, and don’t be tempted by the short duration of the offer.

Caution!

Be on your guard if someone asks you to give them an investment amount in cash or by cheque in their name, or if they refuse to tell you which company they work for.

Register of firms and individuals authorized to practice (Autorité des marchés financiers)

Investment fraud (Government of Canada)

5 steps to avoid fraud (Autorité des marchés financiers)

You get a call from someone posing as a Canada Revenue Agency employee informing you that you owe a significant amount of money, and that you must pay up right away or face legal action.

How should you respond?

• Ask for the caller’s identity, hang up, and call Canada Revenue Agency directly to make sure the call is valid.
• Don’t give out any personal information such as your address, social insurance number, credit card numbers, or any bank information during an unsolicited call.

Caution!

Be wary if the caller uses overly insistent or threatening tones. Government bodies don’t use pressure tactics to force you to pay or threaten legal action if your payment is late.

Contact the Canada Revenue Agency (Canada Revenue Agency)

Sample telephone scam (Government of Canada)

The little black book of scams (Government of Canada)

Someone calls you posing as a Government of Canada employee informing you that your papers are not in order and that you must pay fees to regularize your status or you might have to leave the country.

How should you respond?

• Ask for the caller’s identity, hang up, and call the Immigration office directly to make sure the call is valid.
• Don’t give out any personal information or any banking information during an unsolicited call.
• Don’t send any money – it’s most likely a scam.

Caution!

Be on your guard if the caller asks you to pay right away using a pre-paid credit card or gift cards.

Bear in mind that the Government of Canada will never contact you over the telephone asking you to reimburse fees in your file or send the police to arrest you.  

Fraud targeting newcomers (Government of Canada)

Your eyes are drawn to a cryptocurrency ad repeatedly posted on your social media feed and you decide to contact the company posting the ad. The representative makes you an exclusive offer valid for 24 hours: an investment in virtual currency with a guaranteed return and no financial risks.

How should you respond?

• Ask yourself if the offer is too good to be true. Guaranteed investments with no financial risks don’t exist, especially in cryptocurrency, which changes value regularly.
• Contact the Autorité des marchés financiers to verify whether the individual or company is authorized to practise the profession.
• Take time to think and don’t be tempted by the offer. This is a hard sell, a strategy that exerts pressure to buy quickly. If the offer is legitimate, it should still be valid within the next few days.
• Don’t give out any personal or banking information and don’t give the individual remote access to your computer.

Caution!

Be wary of eye-catching ads offering advice and training on how to make high-return investments. This could be a fraudster’s ploy to extort money from you.

Fraud in 3D (Bank of Canada)

Cryptoasset fraud (Autorité des marchés financiers)

Register of firms and individuals authorized to practice (Autorité des marchés financiers)

You complete an entry form for a draw at a trade show or festival. Shortly afterwards, a merchant tells you you’ve won a trip. However, you’re told that you must attend an information session on timeshare vacations to receive your prize. At the meeting, you’re told that you need to sign a contract to purchase points to redeem for access to rental apartments in various locations around the world. In reality, this is a timeshare contract that you won’t be able to cancel unless you go to court.

How should you respond?

• Inquire about timeshare accommodation before signing the contract. Is the price reasonable? Are the conditions ideal?
• Ask for a copy of the contract to check its duration, the terms of payment, a description of the service, any additional costs, etc.
• Don’t sign anything on the spot. Take time to think and talk to your close family and friends before making a decision.

Caution!

Be wary of special offers that are valid only on the spot. This is a tactic to keep you from thinking things through and to get you to sign a contract you haven’t taken the time to look at carefully.