10.5.5 Tips for avoiding financial fraud 

• If someone tries to sell you an investment, call your provincial or territorial securities regulator to check whether the person is appropriately registered.
• Never share personal information such as your personal identification number, password, mother's maiden name, etc., unless it is with an authorized individual with whom you have a written legal agreement, such as someone you already know at your financial institution.
• If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Avoid such offers.
• If a salesperson pressures you, acts evasive or asks you to keep matters secret, don't invest with that person.
• Ask questions and ask for written documentation, such as a prospectus, about any investment before handing over your money. Never sign any document you have not read carefully or don't fully understand.

If you are approached with an offer you think is fraudulent, or if you become a victim of a scam:

• Contact your local police or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP); in Quebec, contact the Sûreté du Québec.
• In the case of investment fraud, contact your provincial or territorial securities regulator. A list of all regulators is on the Canadian Securities Administrators website.
• Contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

For more information on protecting your money from financial fraud, see the Fraud protection module.