How to Register for the National Do Not Call List in Canada
Register your number on the National Do Not Call List: free online or by phone, what it stops, what it does not stop, and how to complain.
How to Report Fraud and Identity Theft in Canada
Report fraud and identity theft in Canada: the CAFC steps, what to gather, local police, both credit bureaus, and CRA and Service Canada contacts.
Applies in: CA
Fraud and identity theft are reported in Canada through two parallel records: a police report, because local police investigate, and a report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), which maintains a central repository of information to assist law enforcement. If you are in immediate danger, call 911 first. This guide follows the order the CAFC sets out on its victim page, and it covers reporting only. It gives no financial advice and promises no recovery.
Step 1: Gather the records before you contact anyone
Stay calm and gather all information about the fraud, including documents, receipts, and copies of emails and text messages, as the CAFC victim page directs. Do not delete messages, close accounts, or throw away packaging and paperwork before you have copies. A report built from the original messages, dates, amounts, account numbers, and names used is far easier for police and for the Centre to use than one rebuilt from memory later. Keep a single folder, paper or digital, and add every new contact to it with the date.
Step 2: Contact your financial institution
Report the incident to the financial institution that transferred the money. That is the CAFC's second step, before police and before the Centre report. If the fraud is identity fraud, the CAFC lists three further actions at this stage: place flags on all of your accounts, change all of your passwords, and report the fraud to both credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion. Do the password changes from a device you trust, and change passwords on accounts beyond the one that was misused, since the same credentials are often reused. Share any updates afterwards with the Centre, your financial institutions, and police, as the CAFC asks victims to do.
Step 3: Report to your local police and get a file number
Report the incident to your local police and get a file number for future reference. The CAFC is explicit about the division of labour: it is the role of your local police to investigate, while the Centre assists law enforcement through its central repository. Keep the file number with the folder from Step 1. If you later find suspicious activity on your credit report, update your file with the police. A police report made promptly also gives you a dated record to show banks, bureaus, and agencies that ask for one.
Step 4: Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
Report the incident online or by phone, whether you are a victim or a witness. The CAFC reporting page states that you can report a fraud or cybercrime online at the Report Cybercrime and Fraud site, with the option to report anonymously if you wish, and that it is recommended that you report the instance whether you are a victim or not. By phone, the toll-free number is 1-888-495-8501, answered Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4:45 pm Eastern time and closed on holidays. The Centre gives five reasons to report: it works closely with the National Cybercrime Coordination Centre, information could link crimes together in Canada and abroad, information could progress or complete an investigation, reports show crime trends and allow forecasting, and reporting helps prevention and awareness work.
If the fraud took place online through a website, report the incident directly to the administrators of the website as well, through a link such as "Report Abuse" or "Report an Ad". If you suspect someone had your mail redirected, contact Canada Post. You should also notify your service providers, telephone, cell phone, electricity, water, gas, and others, of the identity fraud.
Step 5: Report to both credit bureaus
For identity fraud, report the fraud to both credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion. That instruction comes from the CAFC victim page itself, which names both bureaus and no others. This guide states no bureau procedure, fee, or duration for a flag or alert, because no opened official page states one: contact each bureau directly and ask what flag it places, what it costs, how long it lasts, and what identification it needs. Check your credit reports after reporting, and update your police file if suspicious activity appears.
Step 6: Report to government agencies and document issuers
The CAFC lists two federal contacts: contact the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) at 1-800-959-8281, and contact Service Canada at 1-800-0-Canada (1-800-622-6232). Make both calls where the fraud touches tax or federal benefits, and keep the date and the name of the person you spoke to in your folder.
For documents, the route depends on the issuer. If your passport is lost or stolen, report the incident to Passport Canada and to your local police; outside Canada, report to the nearest Canadian government office abroad. If you suspect someone is using your Social Insurance Number, follow the Government of Canada page the CAFC links to for that situation. For lost or stolen provincial or territorial identity documents, birth certificate, driver's licence, health card, or others issued by a province or territory, contact the province or territory that issued the document, whether it was lost or stolen or you believe someone is fraudulently using the information. For lost or stolen immigration documents, or documents you suspect someone is fraudulently using, contact Citizenship and Immigration Canada as the CAFC directs.
Protect yourself from a second fraud
Fraudsters often target victims of fraud a second or third time with the promise of recovering money. The CAFC warns victims to do due diligence and never to send recovery money. Treat any call, email, or message offering to recover lost funds for a fee as a fresh fraud attempt: hang up, do not pay, and add it to your police file and your Centre report as an update. Tell family, friends, neighbours, and co-workers about your experience, as the CAFC suggests, since that may prevent someone else from becoming a victim.
Figures this guide does not state
No opened official page states how long a credit bureau flag or alert lasts, whether either bureau charges for it, how long the CAFC takes to process a report, or how long a police investigation takes, so this guide states none of those figures. No opened official page states a deadline for reporting to the CAFC or to police, so none is stated here. Report as soon as possible, as the CAFC urges victims to contact local police as soon as possible, and confirm any bureau procedure directly with Equifax and TransUnion before relying on it.
Related guides:
The six steps to report fraud and identity theft in Canada
- Gather the recordsCollect documents, receipts, and copies of emails and text messages about the fraud before you contact anyone
- Contact your financial institutionReport the incident to the financial institution that transferred the money, and for identity fraud place flags on accounts and change passwords
- Contact local policeReport to your local police and get a file number for future reference, since local police investigate
- Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud CentreReport online through the Report Cybercrime and Fraud site or by phone at 1-888-495-8501, anonymously if you wish
- Report to both credit bureausFor identity fraud, report the fraud to Equifax and TransUnion, as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre states it
- Report to government agenciesContact the Canada Revenue Agency and Service Canada, and notify the issuers of any lost or stolen identity documents
Questions people ask
Do I report to the police, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, or both?
Both. Your local police investigate the incident, so report to them as soon as possible and get a file number. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre keeps a central repository of information that assists law enforcement with investigations, and it recommends reporting whether you are a victim or a witness. Reporting to only one of the two leaves the other record unmade.
Can I report fraud anonymously?
Yes, for the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre report. The Centre states that you can report a fraud or cybercrime online at the Report Cybercrime and Fraud site and that you have the option to report anonymously if you wish. A police report is a separate step, and the police will need your details to investigate and to give you a file number.
What do I do first if someone is using my identity?
Follow the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre order: gather your documents, receipts, and copies of emails and text messages; report the incident to the financial institution that transferred the money; place flags on all of your accounts; change all of your passwords; and report the fraud to both credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion. Then report to your local police and to the Centre, and notify your telephone, cell phone, and utility service providers of the identity fraud.
Should I still report if I lost no money?
Yes. The Centre recommends reporting a fraud or cybercrime whether you are a victim or not, and whether or not money was lost. Reports can link crimes together in Canada and abroad, progress or complete an investigation, and show crime trends. If you were only a witness, or if an attempt failed, the online report is still the route the Centre points to.
What if my passport, Social Insurance Number, or provincial identity documents were lost or stolen?
Report a lost or stolen passport to Passport Canada and to your local police. For a Social Insurance Number you suspect someone is using, follow the Government of Canada page the Centre links to. For a lost or stolen birth certificate, driver's licence, health card, or other provincial or territorial document, contact the province or territory that issued the document. For redirected mail, contact Canada Post.
Will the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre get my money back?
No promise of recovery is stated on any opened official page, and this guide makes none. The Centre's stated role is maintaining a central repository of information to assist law enforcement investigations; investigating is the role of your local police. Be wary of a second fraud: the Centre warns that fraudsters often target victims a second or third time with a promise of recovering money, and says never to send recovery money.
Sources
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, What to do if you're a victim of fraud — the six-step order, what to gather, financial institution and identity fraud steps, both credit bureaus, local police and the file number, website and redirected-mail reporting, service provider notification, passport, Social Insurance Number and provincial document routes, the CRA and Service Canada numbers, and the recovery-fraud warning.
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Report fraud and cybercrime — online and phone reporting, the anonymous option, the recommendation to report as victim or witness, the police role in investigating and the Centre's central repository role, the reasons to report, and the phone hours.