Introduction
Scammers are increasingly targeting Canadian seniors through email, text messages, phone calls, and traditional mail.This guide provides comprehensive information to help you recognize and avoid these threats. The Golden Rule: If something feels wrong, it probably is.When in doubt—hang up, delete, or throw it away.
Subscribers: You can download the full, printable 33-page PDF Handbook of this guide HERE
1. Email & Text (SMS) Scams
Digital scams often involve “phishing,” where scammers impersonate trusted organizations.
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CRA (Canada Revenue Agency): They willnever use email or text to request personal info or payment via gift cards/cryptocurrency.
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Banking Alerts: Scammers send fake “suspicious activity” alerts to steal your login credentials.Never click a link in a banking text or email.
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Package Delivery: Fake notices from Canada Post or couriers claiming a “delivery fee” is required.
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Warning Signs: Urgent language, generic greetings (like “Dear Customer”), and suspicious sender addresses.
2. Telephone & Automated Scams
Telephone scams are often aggressive and rely on creating a sense of panic.
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Tech Support: Unsolicited callers claiming to be from Microsoft or Apple.They will ask forremote access to your computer to “fix” a virus—never grant this.
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Grandparent Scam: Someone pretending to be a grandchild in legal or medical trouble, begging you to keep it a secret and wire money.
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Utility Threats: Callers threatening to cut off your hydro or heat within hours if you don’t pay immediately.
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Robo-calls: Automated messages claiming your SIN is “suspended” or that there is a warrant for your arrest.A SIN is permanent and cannot be suspended.
3. Postal & Charity Scams
Even traditional mail is used to facilitate high-stakes fraud.
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Foreign Lotteries: Letters claiming you’ve won a jackpot in another country but must pay “fees” to release it.Participating in foreign lotteries is illegal in Canada.
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Inheritance Scams: Claims that you are the beneficiary of a distant relative’s estate.
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Fake Charities: Organizations using names that sound similar to well-known charities to exploit your generosity.Always verify a charity’s registration number with the CRA.
What To Do If You’ve Been Scammed
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Stop all contact with the scammer immediately.
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Contact your bank or credit card company to report unauthorized charges.
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Place a fraud alert on your credit report with Equifax (1-800-465-7166) or TransUnion (1-800-663-9980).
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Report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at1-888-495-8501.