The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) advises Prairie Region clients to be on alert for targeted immigration scams from recent weeks.
These scams have involved using threatening and/or coercive language, via email and phone calls, to scare individuals into paying fictitious fees to the CBSA for immigration-related issues such as permanent resident cards.
Another recent series of scams have included overseas persons forming online relationships with Canadians. Once a relationship is established, they make plans to visit Canada, but end up “detained at the border” unless a large sum money is transferred into a bank account for their release and entry into Canada.
It is important to be vigilant. These calls or emails should be ignored and reported to appropriate authorities.
If you think you may be a victim of a scam or know someone who may be, immediately report it to info@antifraudcentre.ca or report it to the department that the calls/emails are supposedly coming from.
Quick Facts
The CBSA will never:
• ask you to deposit money into a personal bank account,
• ask you to transfer money through private money transfer service,
• use free email services, such as Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, or Gmail for official communications, or
• call individuals for the purpose of collecting money, or a payment, via telephone.
Associated Links
Protect yourself from fraud
Sample fraudulent email
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Media Relations Contact:
Canada Border Services Agency
PrairieMedia@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
1-844-245-2272
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