Canada: how to report investment fraud and protect your accounts
A Canadian reporting plan covering your financial institution, local police, the CAFC and identity protection, with clear limits on what each route does.
Contact the financial institution that sent your money, report to local police and use the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s reporting route. The official online service is Report Cybercrime and Fraud. Keep references for each report and address identity exposure separately.
This guide is for people in Canada dealing with suspected investment fraud. It distinguishes immediate payment action from police reporting, national intelligence collection and a complaint about a financial institution. Those are related but separate steps.
Canadian provincial and territorial securities supervision and financial-provider complaint routes are not all identical. The federally regulated bank complaint framework is covered in the separate Canada bank guide; do not assume it governs every credit union or investment business.
Tell the sending institution promptly
Use the real bank, card issuer or exchange’s official contact channel. Give the amounts, dates and recipient details, and ask whether payments can be stopped or recalled. If the scammer obtained account access, ask about securing accounts and reviewing other transactions.
The CAFC advises reporting to the financial institution that transferred the money. Do not wait for a complete police file or for the platform to answer your withdrawal request. Preserve the notification time and provider reference, and follow its secure document process.
Report locally and through the CAFC route
The CAFC instructs victims to contact local police and obtain a file number. Its official online reporting route is Report Cybercrime and Fraud at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca. Its reporting guidance also provides a telephone option; follow the live official page for current availability.
The local police have an investigative role. The CAFC maintains information that can assist law enforcement and connect reports, including across borders. An online report is not a promise of an individual investigation or reimbursement. Save your submission and references for later updates.
Record the investment and registration claims
Save the platform domain, supposed firm name, licence or registration claims, contact profiles and messages that induced payments. Check financial authorisation through the relevant Canadian securities regulator for your province or territory, using an official route rather than a certificate in the pitch.
If a genuine firm’s identity was copied, distinguish that firm from the website or person you actually dealt with. Notify the relevant regulator of suspected investment misconduct or impersonation. Registration elsewhere does not automatically show that the offer was permitted in your circumstances.
Protect identification and follow up consistently
If identity fraud is involved, CAFC guidance recommends account flags, password changes and reporting to both Canadian credit bureaus. For exposed passports, provincial documents or a Social Insurance Number, follow the appropriate issuer or government guidance; the necessary action depends on what was compromised.
Keep a real-payment ledger and update police, the CAFC and financial institutions with relevant new information. Do not send money to someone promising recovery, even if they claim to represent the CAFC. The national centre warns that it does not contact people to request money.
Keep the bank complaint separate
If you disagree with your bank’s response, ask for written reasons and use its formal complaint process. FCAC provides guidance for federally regulated banks and does not resolve individual complaints. That route may lead to OBSI under specified conditions.
Reporting fraud to police or the CAFC does not by itself file that complaint. Keep the first complaint date and final response, and verify the applicable escalation conditions. A provincial credit union or other provider may follow a different process.
A short checklist
- Contact the sending institution.
- Report to local police and keep the file number.
- Use the official Report Cybercrime and Fraud route.
- Preserve authorisation claims and payment records.
- Address identity exposure and any provider complaint separately.
Common questions
Does the CAFC recover my money directly?
Its reporting guidance describes collecting information to assist law enforcement. Do not treat submission as a recovery instruction or a reimbursement decision.
Can I report a fraud attempt without losing money?
Yes. The official reporting guidance accepts reports from victims and witnesses, including incidents where a loss has not occurred.
References
- What to do if you are a victim of fraudCanadian Anti-Fraud Centre · Canada
- Report fraud and cybercrimeCanadian Anti-Fraud Centre · Canada
- How to file a complaint with your bankFinancial Consumer Agency of Canada · Canada; federally regulated banks
