Current Scam Alerts

Updated March 2026. These are the most active scams targeting Canadian seniors right now. Share with a friend or family member.

High Risk

CRA Tax Refund Phishing

Scammers are sending emails that look like official Canada Revenue Agency notices, telling you that you are owed a tax refund. The email asks you to click a link and enter your SIN, banking information, and credit card number to "receive your refund."

What to do:
  • The CRA will never email you asking for personal information via a link.
  • Check any legitimate refund by logging in to My CRA Account at canada.ca/my-account.
  • Delete the email and do not click any links.
Report this scam at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
High Risk

AI Voice Clone / Grandparent Scam

Criminals are using AI software to clone the voice of a grandchild using audio gathered from social media. They call seniors claiming to be in an emergency — arrested, in an accident, or stranded — and beg for money by e-transfer or gift cards. The voice sounds completely real.

What to do:
  • Hang up and call your grandchild directly on their usual number to confirm they are safe.
  • Establish a family code word that only your family members know.
  • Never send money by e-transfer, gift cards, or cryptocurrency based on a phone call alone.
Report this scam at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
High Risk

Fake Canada Post SMS

Text messages appear to come from Canada Post, saying your package is held and requires a customs payment of a few dollars before delivery. The link in the text goes to a fake payment page that steals your credit card details. Canada Post does not send fee requests by SMS.

What to do:
  • Delete the text without clicking the link.
  • Check your real parcel status directly at canadapost.ca or in the Canada Post app.
  • Canada Post only communicates customs fees through a physical notice card left at your door.
Report this scam at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
High Risk

Tech Support Pop-Up

A browser pop-up fills your screen claiming your device has a virus and you must call a phone number immediately. The pop-up may make a loud beeping sound and claim to be from Apple or Microsoft. These are fake web pages — no device can detect your viruses through a website.

What to do:
  • Do not call the number shown.
  • Press the Home button to leave the browser, then force-quit Safari or Chrome.
  • Apple's real support is at apple.com/support or 1-800-275-2273.
Report this scam at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
High Risk

Romance Scam

Someone you met on a social app or dating site gradually builds an emotional relationship over weeks or months, then reveals a crisis requiring money urgently. Common stories include being stuck overseas, a frozen bank account, a medical emergency, or a business deal that fell through. They often ask for cryptocurrency or e-transfer.

What to do:
  • Never send money to someone you have only met online, no matter how long you have been talking.
  • Talk to a trusted family member or friend before taking any financial action.
  • Search the person's photo online using Google Images to see if the picture is stolen.
Report this scam at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
Medium Risk

Cryptocurrency Investment Scam

Social media ads and messages from acquaintances promote investment platforms promising guaranteed high returns — sometimes 30% to 50% monthly — often with fake celebrity endorsements. Victims are shown fake account balances that grow quickly, but when they try to withdraw funds they are asked to pay more fees and ultimately lose everything they deposited.

What to do:
  • No legitimate investment guarantees high fixed returns. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
  • Check whether any investment platform is registered with the Ontario Securities Commission at osc.ca.
  • Talk to a financial adviser you found yourself — not one referred to you by the person promoting the investment.
Report this scam at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
Medium Risk

QR Code Phishing

Fake QR code stickers are being placed over legitimate ones on parking meters, restaurant menus, community posters, and transit signs. Scanning the fake code takes you to a website that looks official but asks for your payment or login information.

What to do:
  • After scanning any QR code, check the web address in your browser before entering any details.
  • If the address looks unfamiliar or cluttered, close the browser and ask staff for help.
  • Look for signs of tampering — a fake sticker placed over the original code.
Report this scam at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
Medium Risk

Fake Online Marketplace

Social media ads and posts in local groups advertise popular products — electronics, furniture, clothing — at prices far below retail. The items are either never shipped, or cheap imitations of what was advertised. Payment links often go to convincing but fake shopping websites that capture credit card details.

What to do:
  • If the price seems too low to be real, it almost certainly is a scam.
  • Search the store name plus the word "scam" or "reviews Canada" before buying.
  • Stick to well-known Canadian retailers: Amazon.ca, Best Buy Canada, Walmart Canada, The Bay.
Report this scam at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
Medium Risk

Government Benefit Overpayment Scam

Callers claim to be from Service Canada, ODSP, or another government agency, saying an overpayment was made to your account and must be repaid immediately — often the same day — by e-transfer, gift card, or money order. A variant involves a fake "audit" that threatens legal action if you don't pay.

What to do:
  • Hang up and call the agency directly using the number on their official website.
  • Government agencies never demand same-day repayment by gift card, e-transfer, or Bitcoin.
  • Real overpayment notices arrive by formal letter in the mail, not by phone call.
Report this scam at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
Medium Risk

Prize / Lottery Notification

Letters, calls, or texts claim you have won a large prize or lottery you never entered. To receive your winnings, you must first pay a "processing fee," "government tax," or "release fee." The prize does not exist — once you pay the fee, the scammers disappear.

What to do:
  • You cannot win a lottery you did not enter.
  • No legitimate prize or lottery in Canada charges a fee to release winnings.
  • Discard the letter or delete the message without calling or paying.
Report this scam at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
High Risk — March 2026

AI Voice Cloning — New Technology, Old Scam

Artificial intelligence can now clone a family member's voice from just a few seconds of audio found on social media. Scammers use this to call seniors pretending to be a grandchild in an emergency. The voice sounds completely real.

  • Hang up and call your grandchild directly on their real number
  • Set up a family code word to confirm genuine emergencies
  • Canadian hospitals never demand upfront payment to treat a patient
Report this scam at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
Medium Risk — March 2026

Fake Senior Benefit Programmes

Scammers are sending official-looking letters and emails claiming seniors have been approved for a new government benefit — but must pay a 'processing fee' of $25–$75 to receive it. The Government of Canada never charges a fee to receive a benefit payment.

  • Verify any benefit by calling Service Canada at 1-800-622-6232
  • Real government benefits never require a processing fee
  • Do not call numbers provided in the letter — find the real number on Canada.ca
Report this scam at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
Medium Risk — March 2026

QR Code Mail Scams

Professionally printed flyers and letters are arriving in mailboxes across Ontario with QR codes promising prizes, credits, or government refunds. A QR code is simply a link in disguise — scanning it opens a website that may steal your personal information.

  • When in doubt, throw it out — do not scan unsolicited QR codes
  • Legitimate prize programmes do not select people randomly by postal code
  • If you scanned one: close the browser immediately and do not enter any information
Report this scam at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
High Risk — March 2026

Courier Fraud / Card Pickup Scam

A caller claims to be from your bank or the RCMP and says your bank card has been compromised. They ask you to cut up the card, place it in an envelope, and hand it to a courier they send to your home. This is a scam — they reassemble the card and drain your account. No legitimate bank or police service will ever send a courier to collect your card.

  • Hang up immediately — call your bank directly using the number on the back of your card
  • Never hand your bank card to anyone who comes to your door, even if they show identification
  • If you are unsure, call a trusted family member before doing anything
Report this scam at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
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