Have you recently moved to Canada or dream of migrating to Canada? Being a resident or citizen of Canada, you can enjoy the freedom and rights which are protected by Canadian law.
Here’s some information for your knowledge about the commonly performed fraud on the residents or citizens of Canada.
Beware of people who pretend to act as government staff of Canada
It is a widespread fraud that a person pretends to act as an official staff member of the government. The con artists telephone people and accuse them of not doing something correctly (not doing the paperwork properly), and they need to pay the penalty.
They may threaten the person of losing their status on immigration or be sent back if they don’t pay the fees immediately. These fraudulent people are even capable of endangering someone’s family.
List of things to keep in mind
The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will not:
- Contact you through a telephone to charge penalties.
- Be offensive or instill fear by threatening to put you behind bars.
- Scare to hurt you or your family
- Ask for any credentials or private information over the call (unless they need to verify the information already given),
- Require any financial statements over the telephone,
- Insist you make the payment immediately,
- Force you to pay through credit cards, Western Union, Money Gram, gift cards, or similar services.
Things you need to do when you are doubtful about the immigration call
- Immediately ask their name and disconnect the call.
- Contact the call center to reconfirm it was officially from them.
- In case the call wasn’t from them, immediately report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
- If you happen to lose your money, reach out and report to the police.
What you should do when you receive a scam call on taxes
- Disconnect the ring, then contact the Canada Revenue Agency, asking them if it was officially from them.
- Once you know that the call wasn’t from them, complain to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center as soon as you can.
- If you already gave your details or lost your money to the suspicious caller, reach out to the local police.
Remember that you can always use a caller ID to view the caller’s actual number who pretends to be someone they aren’t. A few con artists use advanced technology to falsify a phone number, and this always isn’t proof that the caller is genuine.
Scamming through emails
You may receive emails from scam artists who try to drag you into spending or investing money and provide passwords or personal information linked to your bank accounts.
Stay updated on any emails from strangers
Delete the mail immediately, as the official investors never send emails to individuals that they don’t know.
Always keep an open eye for this kind of fraudulent email from strangers that redirect you to an unknown page that requires you to provide personal information, and don’t forget to check the sender’s identity.
Never, ever provide personal information to a website unless and until you are familiar with who you are providing it to, with an assurance that the page or link is secure.
False computer virus
You may receive a phone call or an email that says your system has been affected by a dangerous virus. Then, the sender or caller may insist you get rid of that dangerous virus off your computer so that he may access your system’s private information or other passwords.
Never share any personal information
You must never give someone permission to access your computer from whom you didn’t request guidance. Get your system repaired by a professional, or install the anti-virus software from an official or a trusted store.
Beware of false contests and prizes
The most common way to scam is through phone calls and text messages. If you happen to get a call or text from someone who says you have won something you didn’t contend for, it most probably is a scam.
Do not let frauds use you as a bait
In case you receive a text from an unknown person that takes you directly to a page and requires your private information, delete the message immediately without opening the page without entering any information.
The con artists perform this scam to confirm their actual phone numbers. Select the options from your phone that guide you to protect and block any further messages from such suspected numbers.
If the text directs you to reply “STOP” or “NO” so that you don’t get any more messages from that number, delete it immediately without responding. If you are sure and can consider that the text is trustworthy, make sure that the given link takes you to a secure website.
Are you planning to migrate to Canada? Get world-class guidance with the World’s No.1 Overseas Consultant with Y-Axis.
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