The Canada Border Services Agency is warning the public about a rise in a particular immigration scam perpetrated by individuals impersonating their organization.
Officials say that victims of these scams are contacted by phone and email and threatened into paying fictitious fees to the CBSA for immigration-related issues.
Other immigration scams that’ve appeared in the last few weeks have included overseas persons forming a relationship with Canadians.
Once that’s done, the scammer makes plans to visit them in Canada and then end up being ‘detained at the border’ by the CBSA.
Fraudsters then attempt to bilk a large sum of money out of the victims to secure their ‘release’ and entry into the country.
Officials say that it is always important to be vigilant when dealing with these sorts of schemes, but there are a number of signs that could indicate a scam.
For instance, the CBSA will never:
- Ask you to deposit money into a personal bank account
- Transfer money through a private money lending service
- Use free e-mail services such as Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, or Gmail for official communications
- Call individuals to collect money or a payment
If you think you or someone you know may be the victim of a scam, immediately report it to info@antifraudcentre.ca.
