Scammed – What To Do Next

BEEN SCAMMED? WHAT TO DO NEXT

FIRST 10 MINUTES

JUST REALIZED YOU'VE BEEN SCAMMED? ACT QUICKLY.

The sooner you act, the better your chance of limiting financial loss, securing compromised accounts and preventing further fraud.
Stop sending money and stop communicating with the suspected scammer.
Call your bank or card company immediately if money or financial information was involved.
Change compromised passwords — especially banking, email and social media.
Secure your email account — your email can be used to reset passwords and gain access to other accounts.
Turn on multi-factor authentication wherever possible.
Save everything connected to the fraud — emails, texts, chats, screenshots, receipts, transaction records, phone numbers, usernames, profiles and website addresses. This evidence may be important when reporting the fraud or attempting to recover funds.
Identify what personal information was exposed — SIN, driver's licence, banking information, passwords, credit card numbers or other identification.
Check all financial accounts for additional suspicious or unauthorized activity.
Report the fraud to the appropriate authorities.
BEWARE OF RECOVERY SCAMS. Fraud victims are often targeted again. Never pay someone who unexpectedly contacts you claiming they can recover money you lost to fraud.

FIND YOUR VICTIM ACTION GUIDE

Different types of fraud require different actions. Select the type of fraud below to go directly to the specific steps you should take next.
Credit Card Fraud — What to Do →
Bank Account & Debit Fraud — What to Do →
Investment & Cryptocurrency Fraud — What to Do →
Romance & Relationship Scam — What to Do →
Phishing, Email & Text Scam — What to Do →
Identity Theft & Personal Information Stolen — What to Do →
Charity, Fundraising & Donation Scam — What to Do →
Phone, Government & Bank Impersonation Scam — What to Do →
Computer, Tech Support & Remote Access Scam — What to Do →
General Resources for Fraud Victims — What to Do →

REPORT FRAUD IN CANADA

Report Cybercrime and Fraud — RCMP / Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
https://reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca/

Use Canada's official reporting system to report fraud and cybercrime and help authorities identify fraud trends and protect other potential victims.
If you are in immediate danger or a crime is currently in progress, call 911.

CREDIT CARD FRAUD

If your credit card or card information has been stolen or used without permission:

1. Contact your credit card company immediately. Use the number on the back of your card or the issuer's official website — not a phone number or link contained in a suspicious message.
2. Lock or cancel the affected card. Ask whether a replacement card and new number are required.
3. Identify and dispute unauthorized transactions. Tell the issuer which charges you did not make.
4. Change your online banking/card password. If you reused that password anywhere else, change it there too.
5. Review recurring payments and digital wallets. A replacement card may require legitimate subscriptions or payments to be updated.
6. Check your credit reports. Look for accounts or credit applications you don't recognize.
7. Preserve evidence. Keep statements, emails, texts, screenshots, receipts and correspondence with the card issuer.
8. Report the fraud.Report significant fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and, where appropriate, local police. Government of Canada — Credit Card Fraud
   https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/credit-fraud.html

   Government of Canada — Resolving Unauthorized Transactions
   https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/resolving-unauthorized-transaction.html

BANK ACCOUNT / DEBIT CARD FRAUD

If money has been taken from your bank account or transferred without your authorization:

1. Contact your bank's fraud department immediately.
2. Tell the bank exactly which transactions are unauthorized.
3. Ask whether any pending transfer can be stopped or recalled. Time can be critical, particularly with electronic transfers.
4. Lock or replace the affected debit card.
5. Change your online banking password and PIN.
6. Secure your email account. If a criminal controls your email, changing only your banking password may not be enough.
7. Enable multi-factor authentication where available.
8. Review your accounts carefully for additional transactions.
9. Save all evidence and obtain reference/case numbers from your bank.
10. Report the fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and police when appropriate. Government of Canada — Debit Card Fraud
    https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/debit-fraud.html Unauthorized Credit & Debit Transactions
    https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/rights-responsibilities/protection-unauthorized-transactions.html

INVESTMENT / CRYPTOCURRENCY FRAUD

If you sent money to a fraudulent investment, trading platform or cryptocurrency scheme:

1. STOP sending money immediately.
   Do not send another payment for taxes, withdrawal fees, insurance, verification or account unlocking.
2. Contact your bank, credit card company or payment provider immediately.
   Tell them the transaction resulted from fraud and ask whether anything can be stopped, reversed or recalled.
3. If cryptocurrency was involved, preserve the transaction information.
   Save wallet addresses, transaction IDs/hashes, exchange information and screenshots.
4. Do not delete your conversations with the scammer.
5. Save the investment website, advertisements and social-media profiles.
6. Report the fraudulent investment to the appropriate securities regulator and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
7. Report fraudulent profiles and advertisements to the platform where you encountered them.
8. Be extremely cautious about anyone offering to recover your money.

WATCH FOR RECOVERY SCAMS

Fraud victims are frequently targeted again. Someone may claim to be a lawyer, investigator, government agency, cryptocurrency expert or recovery company that has located your money.

Do not pay an upfront fee to recover money lost to fraud.

CIRO — Recovery Scams
https://www.ciro.ca/office-investor/avoiding-fraud-and-protecting-your-investments/recovery-scams

ROMANCE / RELATIONSHIP SCAM

If you discover that someone you've developed an online relationship with is scamming you:

1. Stop sending money immediately.
2. Do not send cryptocurrency, gift cards, banking information or identification.
3. Preserve your conversations before blocking the person.
   Save messages, photographs, usernames, email addresses, phone numbers and financial requests.
4. Contact your financial institution immediately if money was sent.
5. Change passwords if you shared account information or passwords.
6. Report the profile to the dating site or social-media platform.
7. Report financial fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
8. Tell someone you trust.
   Scammers deliberately create secrecy and emotional dependence. A second person can help review what happened objectively.
9. Expect the scammer may contact you again under another identity.
10. Watch for recovery scammers claiming they can retrieve your money.

Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre — Relationship & Romance Fraud
https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/scams-fraudes/romance-rencontre-eng.htm

PHISHING / EMAIL / TEXT SCAM

If you received the message but DID NOT click:

Delete it, block/report the sender where appropriate and don't respond.

If you clicked a link but DID NOT enter information:

Close the page. Don't download anything. If you downloaded or installed something, have the device checked and follow the compromised-device steps below.

If you entered a PASSWORD:

1. Change that password immediately using the legitimate website/app.
2. Change it anywhere else you used the same password.
3. Enable multi-factor authentication.
4. Review recent account activity and logged-in devices/sessions.

If you entered BANKING OR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION:

Contact your financial institution immediately and follow the banking/credit-card fraud steps above.

If you entered PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION:

Follow the identity-theft steps below.

Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre — Phishing
https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/scams-fraudes/phishing-service-hameconnage-eng.htm

IDENTITY THEFT / PERSONAL INFORMATION STOLEN

If someone has your SIN, driver's licence information, banking information or other identifying information:

1. Determine what information was compromised.
2. Change affected passwords immediately.
3. Contact your banks and credit-card companies.
4. Contact both Canadian credit bureaus — Equifax and TransUnion.
5. Obtain and review your credit reports.
6. Ask about fraud alerts where appropriate.
7. Report fraudulent accounts or credit applications immediately.
8. Contact the issuing government agency if government identification was stolen or compromised.
9. Report identity fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and police where appropriate.
10. Continue monitoring your credit and financial accounts.
    Identity information can sometimes be used well after the original incident.

Office of the Privacy Commissioner — Identity Theft Victim Guide
https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/identities/identity-theft/guide_idt/

CHARITY / FUNDRAISING SCAM

If you donated to what you now believe was a fraudulent charity, crowdfunding campaign or personal fundraiser:Stop any additional or recurring payments.

1. Contact your credit-card company, bank or payment provider.
2. Explain that you believe the payment was induced by fraud.
3. Save the fundraiser before it disappears.
   Take screenshots of the story, photographs, organizer's name, donation page and claims being made.
4. Save receipts and payment records.
5. Report the fundraiser to the crowdfunding or social-media platform.
6. If it claimed to be a registered charity, verify the organization through the CRA.
7. Report suspected charity/donation fraud to the appropriate authorities.
   CRA — Avoid Donation-Related Scams
   https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/charities-giving/giving-charity-information-donors/donate-wisely-avoid-fraud.html

PHONE / GOVERNMENT / BANK IMPERSONATION SCAM

If someone claimed to be your bank, CRA, police, Service Canada, a utility company or another trusted organization:

1. End the call or conversation.
2. Do NOT call the number they provided.
3. Find the organization's official number independently and contact it yourself.
4. If you provided banking information, call your bank immediately.
5. If you provided a password, change it immediately.
6. If you installed software or gave someone remote access to your computer, disconnect the device from the internet and secure it before using it for sensitive accounts.
7. Save the phone number, voicemail, texts, emails and other evidence.
8. Report the impersonation scam.

Remember: caller ID can be spoofed. A call displaying the name of your bank, police department or government agency is not proof that the caller actually represents that organization.

CRA — Recognize a Scam
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/scams-fraud/recognize-scam.html

COMPUTER / TECH SUPPORT / REMOTE ACCESS SCAM

If you allowed a scammer to remotely access your computer:

1. Disconnect the computer from the internet.
2. Do not log into banking, email or other sensitive accounts from that computer until it is secure.
3. Remove unauthorized remote-access software.
4. Have the device checked for malicious software if necessary.
5. From a trusted device, change important passwords — starting with your email and financial accounts.
6. Enable multi-factor authentication.
7. Contact your financial institution if you logged into banking while the scammer had access.
8. Review financial accounts for unauthorized activity.
9. Preserve evidence and report the fraud.

FOR ALMOST ANY FRAUD — DO THESE THINGS

Regardless of the type of scam:

Stop contact and stop sending money.
Contact your bank/payment provider immediately if money or financial information was involved.
Change compromised passwords and enable multi-factor authentication.
Save evidence before deleting or blocking anything.
Determine whether personal identification was compromised.
Check financial accounts and credit reports when appropriate.
Report serious fraud to the appropriate authorities.
Watch for follow-up and recovery scams.
Tell someone you trust.

Fraudsters rely heavily on embarrassment, secrecy, urgency and isolation. Being victimized by a sophisticated fraud does not mean someone was foolish; reporting it can also help prevent other people from being targeted.

MAIN CANADIAN FRAUD REPORTING SITE

Report Cybercrime and Fraud — RCMP / Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

https://reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca/

For fraud in progress or situations involving immediate danger, contact police/emergency services as appropriate.

General Resources for Fraud Victims

TOP 5 RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

1. Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre — What to Do If You're a Victim of Fraud
   https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/scams-fraudes/victim-victime-eng.htm
   This is the best overall Canadian compilation I found. It walks victims through gathering evidence, contacting financial institutions, contacting police, reporting the fraud, dealing with compromised identity information and protecting themselves from being victimized again. It also specifically warns about recovery scams, where fraudsters target previous victims a second or third time. Updated January 2026.
2. Competition Bureau Canada — How to Report Fraud and Scams in Canada
   https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/fraud-and-scams/tips-and-advice/how-report-fraud-and-scams-canada
   An excellent step-by-step victim guide. It explains what evidence to save—emails, texts, receipts, websites, phone numbers and payment records—then who to contact depending on what happened. It also includes specific instructions for identity theft and financial fraud.
3. Government of Canada — Protection From Frauds and Scams
   https://www.canada.ca/en/services/finance/fraud.html
   A very useful central victim resource because it separates assistance by type: identity theft, credit card fraud, debit card fraud, real-estate fraud, tax fraud, immigration fraud, online scams, compromised financial information and unauthorized transactions. Updated March 2026.
4. Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada — Identity Theft: What to Do If You Become a Victim
   https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/identities/identity-theft/guide_idt/
   Especially valuable when the fraudster obtained personal information. It covers changing passwords, notifying banks and credit-card companies, replacing cards, contacting police and CAFC, and dealing with stolen identification documents.
5. CRA — Report a Scam or Identity Theft
   https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/scams-fraud/report-scam.html
   Particularly useful for victims of CRA impersonation or identity theft. It also tells victims when to contact their bank, credit bureaus, police, Service Canada and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Updated March 2026.

ADDITIONAL HELPFUL RESOURCES

1. Competition Bureau — The Little Black Book of Scams: What to Do If You Get Scammed
   https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/little-black-book-scams
   Includes a victim section on reducing the damage, reporting the scam, warning others, dealing with fraudulent purchases/contracts and avoiding follow-up scams.
2. Government of Canada — Identity Theft
   https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/office-consumer-affairs/en/identity-theft-spam-and-fraud/identity-theft
   Good combination of prevention and victim information, including protecting accounts, reviewing credit reports and reporting identity theft.
3. Government of Canada — Consumer Identity Theft Checklist
   https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/publications/en/publications/consumer-identity-theft-checklist
   This one is older, but I would actually keep it because it's a checklist specifically designed for victims rather than another general fraud article.
4. Competition Bureau — Tips to Avoid Being Scammed
   https://competition-bureau.canada.ca/en/fraud-and-scams/tips-and-advice/scams-target-canadian-consumers-tips-avoid-being-scammed
   Useful after victimization because it helps someone understand how to prevent another incident involving personal information, banking information or payments.
5. Report Cybercrime and Fraud — RCMP/Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
   https://reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca/