Scams and Fraud

If someone posing as an immigration or law enforcement official tells you that you will be arrested, go to jail, lose your immigration status, be deported, or have your Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) account(s) suspended if you don’t pay money or give your personal information; it is a scam.  

Scammers may give a fake name and agent/badge number to appear legitimate. If you think the call, text or email is a scammer:

• call the IRCC Call Centre to confirm the agent’s identity and, if applicable;
• do not click on any links.

Please take the time to review important information found at the following links to learn more:

• I received a call from an immigration officer. Was it a scam?
• I received an email from an immigration officer. Is it a scam?
• How can I tell if an immigration website is a scam?
• How do I report a scam or a fraud?
• I received an email with a link asking me to provide my banking information. Is it a scam?
• What happens if I owe IRCC money? Will you call to ask for unpaid fees?
• If I have not paid my fees, will you have me arrested or deported?
• Will you ask me for personal information over the phone?
• I received threats from someone who says they are from the immigration department. Is it a scam?

Using an unauthorized representative to assist you with your immigration application can lead to a refusal of your application and may lead to a 5 year-ban from Canada. If you decide to hire a representative, ensure that they are authorized and licensed to assist and/or represent you.

Unauthorized representatives are often referred to as ‘ghost consultants.’ If they promise you an immigration outcome, a fee for processing or a simplified or fast-tracked process that sounds ‘too good’ it most likely is ‘too good to be true.’ Don’t be scammed by a ghost consultant.

Verify whether your representative is authorized:

• Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC):Find an Immigration Consultant (college-ic.ca)
• Regulated International Student Immigration Advisor (RISIA): :Find an Immigration Consultant (college-ic.ca)
• Immigration Lawyer: Canadian Bar Association - Law Societies (cba.org) (Look-up by province).

Finding a suitable place to live in Calgary can be challenging, as the city has a competitive rental market. This means there is an increased chance of scammers seeking to exploit renters via fraud. Common rental housing scams include:

• Fake listing where the property is real, but the rental property offered does not belong to the scammer, or they are not legally allowed to rent/sublet it.
• Online listings where the property does not actually exist, and the scammer will attempt to get you to pay money and then stop communicating with you.
• Personal information theft. There may be scammers posing as landlords with the intent to gather as much Personal Identifiable Information they can about you to use or sell. (Social Insurance Number, bank account information, employment information, ID numbers, birthdays, etc.)
• Offering reduced rent for personal favours or other inappropriate expectations (e.g. sharing room/bed with landlord, “friend with benefits”, male landlord seeking female roommates only)

• Trust your instincts. If something feels off or suspicious, proceed with caution.
• Scammers may try to pressure renters who are in a hurry. Stress and emotions can make people more vulnerable. A landlord should not be applying excessive pressure for you to rent their property.
• Only deal with landlords who are local. It is highly recommended to not do business with an overseas landlord. If they refuse to meet in person, it could be a red flag.
• Be careful if a landlord will only communicate by email and makes excuses for why they cannot talk on the phone.
• Conduct a walk-through of the property with the landlord so you can document the condition of the property before moving in. This includes testing appliances, furnace, taps, etc.
• Be suspicious if a landlord is urging you to pay any amount of money prior to seeing the property.
• Research the average rental rates in the area and be suspicious if the rate is significantly lower.
• Do not give out personal information such as your social insurance number (SIN), bank account or credit card number.
• If you can, see if you can chat with someone who has rented from the same person or company in the past.
• Be careful if the landlord sends you attachments in an email. It is best to scan them with anti-virus software before opening.
• Be very suspicious of landlords who are offering reduced or cheaper than normal rent for inappropriate reasons. A landlord should not ask for you to share a bed/room with them, request sexual favours (sometimes called “friends with benefits”), or any other improper requests.

• Proof of income or bank statement.
  • Landlords can ask for amount of income but not source of income.
• References. Landlords can ask potential tenants to provide references from individuals who:
  • Know the potential tenant(s) (for questions about general nature or responsibility).
  • Have previously rented to the tenant(s) (for questions about rental and payment history).
  • It's okay to provide references who are outside of Canada. Landlords who are familiar with international students understand that you may not be able to provide in-Canada references.
• Credit Report. This is a summary of your credit history. A credit report is created when you borrow money or apply for credit for the first time.  If you have no credit history, a landlord may ask you for a guarantor, who is usually a parent or guardian with good credit history. The guarantor agrees to pay for you if you are unable to pay your rent.
  • Click here to read more about how you can request your credit report for free
• Security or damage deposit. The purpose of this deposit is to cover the costs of fixing or repairing damage to the property, cleaning because of extraordinary or abnormal use, arrears of rental payments (late payments), or other costs agreed to in the tenancy agreement. 
  • A security deposit cannot exceed what you as the tenant would pay for the first full month of rent according to your residential tenancy agreement (lease).
• A landlord may legally charge an application fee. (a non-refundable fee to fill out and send a rental application) 
  • If you do not want to pay such a fee, you do not have to apply to rent from that landlord.

• If you have a SIN card, do not carry it in your wallet or purse – store it in a safe place.
• Never use your SIN as a piece of identification.
• Provide your SIN only when you know that it is legally required (see section below when to provide your SIN)
• Provide your SIN over the phone only if you make the call and you know it is legally required.
• Never reply to emails that ask for personal information like your SIN.
• Shred paper records with your SIN once you no longer need them – do not recycle them.
• Contact Service Canada if you change your name, if your citizenship status changes, or if information on your SIN record is incorrect or incomplete.
• Take action immediately to protect your SIN if you suspect someone is using it fraudulently.

When to provide your SIN

• After being hired by your employer.
• When completing your income tax information.
• When opening an account from which you earn interest at a financial institution such as a bank or credit union.
• When accessing government programs and benefits (ie. Canada Pension Plan, Canada Child Tax Benefit, Canada Student Loans).

*Some businesses may ask you for your SIN. This is strongly discouraged, but it is not illegal (see section below “if you are asked for your SIN”).

Examples of when you DO NOT have to provide your SIN:

• Proving your identity
• Applying for a job
• Applying for a rental property
• Negotiating 
• Appling for a credit card
• Renting a car

If you are asked for your SIN when it is not legally required

If your SIN is not required by law, ask why it is being requested, how it will be used, and with whom it will be shared. Explain that your SIN is not required by law and that you do not want to provide it. Offer a different proof of identity. If the company or organization refuses to provide the product or service unless you provide your SIN, ask to speak to the person in charge. 

If you suspect that someone else is using your SIN, act quickly to help prevent personal loss and minimize the negative impact. An indication that your SIN is being used fraudulently could be if the Canada Revenue Agency sends you a Notice of Reassessment concerning undeclared earnings. This may mean that someone has used your SIN for employment purposes or to receive other taxable income.

1. File a report with the police. Make sure the report states your name and SIN.
2. Report the fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre on their website or by calling 1-888-495-8501.
3. Contact Canada’s two major credit bureaus to tell them you have been a victim of identity fraud: Equifax Canada (1-800-465-7166) and TransUnion Canada (1-800-663-9980). Ask each credit bureau for a copy of the credit report (there may be a fee).
4. Review both credit reports. Look for accounts your didn’t open yourself, or creditors that any have made inquiries on your credit report when you didn’t ask for credit. If you see anything like this, contact each of these creditors and tell them about the identity theft. Ask them to close any accounts you didn’t open and decline any new accounts you didn’t request.
5. Review all of your banking and credit card statements. If you notice suspicious transactions, immediately contact the financial institution.
6. Visit a Service Canada Centre. You must bring proof that someone has used your SIN and the police report. Service Canada may issue you a new SIN if there is sufficient proof your SIN was used fraudulently.

If you receive mail from a sender you don’t recognize, be suspicious. According to the Government of Canada, individuals and organizations will attempt to reach would-be victims by mail using different approaches. 

Be aware of “free” gifts, prize offers or job opportunities that require you to make a purchase, send money or submit a tax payment. If they are asking for money or your credit card information, it could be a scam. Also beware of instructions that require you to call a 1-900 number.

The three most common types of mail fraud are:

• International mail scams, including foreign money offers and inheritance scams;
• Job scams, such as offering mystery shopper “opportunities”;
• Prize scams, such as lottery scams and sweepstakes scams.

If you suspect you have received a mail scam from a business, you can verify if the company is legitimate by contacting the Better Business Bureau. You can also report mail fraud through the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. 

Received a suspicious email? Someone you know sent you a message online but they don’t sound like themselves? It could be an online scam. 

Online scams can happen through email, apps, social media accounts, and more. Often, emails are sent with “reset password” links, “job offer” links, or a meeting link that you have not requested or were not expecting. 

When resetting passwords, go directly to the website to reset the password.  For online meeting links such as Zoom, only click on meetings you have scheduled with another person. 

For more information on how to protect yourself online, please visit the University of Calgary’s IT website, here.

When searching for employment be aware of job scams that ask for you to send money to apply, or after you have been hired. For further information, please read the Centre for Career and Personal Development’s page on Job Scams, here.