The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has been informed of fraudulent advertisements being posted on online classifieds web sites such as Craigslist.com and Kijiji.com, as well as on posters in the Vancouver area. In these advertisements, the author claiming to be a CIHR employee named "Chelsea" invites people to participate in a research study. She promises a generous payment after the completion of the study, but requires a "refundable" fee of $50 at the time of registration.
Please be advised that this is a SCAM, and not a legitimate research study.
The advertisements are not from CIHR. The message's author is neither a CIHR employee, nor a CIHR-funded researcher. Do NOT respond.
We have already notified appropriate law enforcement authorities about this situation. If you see or receive the advertisement, we encourage you to contact your local RCMP Detachment or the police service of jurisdiction in your area to inform them this type of scam may be occurring in their region.
You may also contact the RCMP's Phone Busters (The Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre) toll-free at 1-888-495-8501 to obtain more information about consumer fraud.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
