Recently Moved To Canada? Don’t Be A Victim Of Fraud, Protect Yourself

When you are new to Canada, you may not be used to how companies or the government do business. As a resident, you have rights and freedoms protected by Canadian law.Below are some common scams aimed at newcomers to Canada. Read them so you know what to do if you are targeted.

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1) People posing as Government of Canada staff

What happens: A person poses as a government official on the telephone. They call people and try to scare them by saying they have done something wrong (like not filing proper paperwork) and that they owe fees. They may say the person can lose their immigration status or be deported if they do not pay right away. These people may even threaten someone’s family or home.

Things to remember?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will never:

• contact you over the telephone to collect fees or fines
• be aggressive or threaten to arrest or deport you
• threaten to harm you or a member of your family, or damage your home or property
• ask for personal information over the phone (except to verify information you already gave us)
• ask for financial information over the phone
• try to rush you into paying right away
• ask you to pay fees using prepaid credit cards, Western Union, Money Gram, gift cards, or any other similar services
• send police to arrest you for unpaid fees

Note: If you use caller ID, an agency’s phone number may appear real, but it is not. Some scam artists use technology to fake the number, so this is not always proof that a caller is legitimate.

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2) Fake emails

What happens: You may get an email trying to convince you to invest money or to give personal information or passwords related to your banking accounts.

What to do: Delete it. Legitimate investors don’t send bulk emails to people they do not know.Watch out for emails from a stranger that direct you to a website that asks for personal information. Never give out personal information unless you know whom you are giving it to and that the website is secure.

If you get this kind of email, don’t click on any links or give any information about yourself. If you have any doubts about where the email came from, make sure to check the identity of the sender.

3)?Fake computer virus

What happens: You may get a phone call or email saying that your computer has been infected with a virus. The caller or sender will offer to remove the virus from your computer. The person will try to get your computer passwords and other private information.

What to do: Never give access to your computer to someone you didn’t contact for help. You should only have your computer fixed at a professional shop or install anti-virus software bought from a trusted store.

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4) Fake prizes

What happens: If you get a phone or text message saying you won something but did not enter a contest, it is probably a scam.

What to do: If you get a text message from a stranger, and it directs you to a form that asks you to enter any personal information delete the text. Do not enter any information.

If the text tells you to text “STOP” or “NO” so you don’t get more texts, delete it. Do not reply. Scam artists do this to confirm they have a real phone number. Forward the texts to 7726 (SPAM on most keypads). This will let your phone provider block future texts from those numbers. If you think your text message is real, check that the link it is sending you to is the correct website.

5) Fake websites

What happens: It’s easy for criminals to copy a real website or build one that looks professional. Websites may claim to be official Government of Canada sites or their partners. Others may claim to offer special immigration deals or guaranteed high-paying jobs. They do this to trick people into paying them money. Some of these sites may try to get you to give them your private information. This could be used to steal your identity.

What to do: If the website claims to offer special deals to people who want to immigrate, don’t deal with them. Don’t pay for offers of guaranteed entry into Canada or faster processing of your application. These claims are false. Check the address in your browser’s address bar when you land on a website. It should match the address you typed.

Never enter private information unless there is a padlock in the browser window or “https://” at the beginning of the web address to show it is secure.

Other things that you should remember:

• If a website seems wrong to you, do a web search to see if anyone has reported any problems with that site.
• Make sure your browser is up-to-date.
• Browser filters can help detect fake websites.
• Beware of websites advertised in emails from strangers that you didn’t ask for.
• Don’t give out personal information unless you are sure you know whom you are dealing with.
• If in doubt, contact the website owner by telephone or email before you do anything.
• Find out more about who can legally represent you if you choose to hire a representative.

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How to protect yourself

Don’t be the victim of a scam. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. These scams can result in:

• identity theft
• fraud
• theft from your bank account or credit card?
• computer viruses

Remember

• No one can guarantee you a job or a visa to Canada.
• Only immigration officers in Canada, at Canadian embassies, high commissions and consulates can decide to issue a visa.
• IRCC will ask you to pay fees for Canadian government services to the “Receiver General for Canada,” unless we state something different on a visa office website.??
  
• Processing fees are the same for all of our services in Canada and around the world
• Fees in local currencies are based on official exchange rates
• They’re the same amount as fees in Canadian dollars.

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