{"id":144761,"date":"2023-11-08T06:01:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T11:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interac1.wpengine.com\/?post_type=content&p=144761"},"modified":"2025-07-31T10:21:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T14:21:13","slug":"how-to-spot-scams-that-target-newcomers-to-canada","status":"publish","type":"content","link":"https:\/\/www.interac.ca\/en\/content\/life\/how-to-spot-scams-that-target-newcomers-to-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"How to spot scams that target newcomers to Canada\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Moving countries doesn\u2019t just mean getting used to a new home city or culture. You also have to navigate everyday tasks, like looking after your finances. And it may be done a little differently here in Canada than what you\u2019re used to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you\u2019re a newcomer who\u2019s feeling overwhelmed by a lack of financial confidence in Canada, you\u2019re not alone: A recent Interac survey reported<\/a> that 44 per cent of newcomers to Canada feel that way. Fear of fraud is a major reason why a lot of people lack that confidence: A majority of respondents (53 per cent) say they and\/or family members have been targeted by financial fraud\/scams. And 73 per cent would like to know more about how to protect themselves from scams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, knowledge of how to spot scams is necessary for everyone: while Canada may be known for being safe and friendly, but all Canadians must contend with the risk of fraud. Everyone who lives here can empower themselves by learning to recognize a suspicious situation, and how to deal with it.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interac is probably best known for offering Interac <\/em>Debit<\/a> and Interac <\/em>e-Transfer<\/a>, which for decades has given Canadians convenient and easy-to-use ways to spend and transfer money. More recently, we introduced Interac <\/em>Verified<\/a> to make it more seamless for people to digitally verify their data where it is required before access to select services is granted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As one of Canada\u2019s leading and most trusted financial services brands<\/a>, Interac takes a special interest in fraud prevention. We\u2019re committed to building security features into our offerings<\/a> \u2014 to help give Canadians, including those new to Canada, one less thing to worry about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also arm Canadians with information to help spot, avoid and report fraud<\/a>,\u00a0so they can make digital transactions with greater confidence.\u202f\u201cAt Interac we advise everyone to take a \u2018Stop, Scrutinize, Speak up\u2019 approach when coming across a possible fraud attempt,\u201d says Rachel Jolicoeur, Director, Cybermarket Intelligence and Financial Crime at Interac. You can read more about it here<\/a>, but \u201cit essentially means that when you encounter a situation that raises red flags, you should pause, think carefully and verify anything you\u2019re unsure about through a different yet reliable source. And report any suspicious activity you think is a scam to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But how will you know when to be suspicious? We\u2019re here to help you gain financial confidence in Canada, with some tips to consider when dealing with certain types of fraud and scams that people encounter here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fraud prevention: What you need to know as a newcomer\u202f<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLiving in Canada, you may unfortunately receive a lot of spam phone calls, emails and text messages,\u201d Rachel says. \u201cAnd don\u2019t be surprised if the message is in your home language.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anti-fraud authorities \u2014 like the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)<\/a> both of which are federal police services \u2014 offer the following pieces of advice to avoid getting scammed. They\u2019re valid for anyone <\/em>who lives in Canada, and especially helpful to newcomers: <\/p>\n\n\n\n