Protect yourself against fraud

Beware of scammers posing as Government of Canada Pension Centre agents or other government officials.

On this page

How to recognize fraud

There are many types of fraud and new ones are being invented every day.
You should always be vigilant when you are contacted by telephone, mail, text message or email. Criminals may be looking for your personal information, such as:

  • your pension number
  • your social insurance number
  • your banking information

Criminals may attempt to get this information by claiming to be from the Government of Canada Pension Centre (Pension Centre).

  • They may try to threaten or intimidate you into paying fictitious debts
  • They may direct you to a website that promises you a refund or a benefit payment if you provide personal information

These are scams.

The Pension Centre never sends emails with links that ask you for personal or financial information. They contact you only to follow up on phone calls or requests that you initiated.

When you receive an unsolicited email, never respond to the email or click on any of the links in the email. If you are uncertain about an enquiry that appears to be from the Pension Centre, contact the Pension Centre before responding or providing personal information.

How to protect yourself from identity theft

  • Never provide personal information by text message or email
  • Make sure you know who you are talking to before sharing personal information over the telephone
  • Be careful before sharing your personal information, especially over the Internet
  • Always keep your access codes, user IDs, passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs) secret
  • Keep your address current with all government departments and agencies
  • Think carefully before you click on links in any email that you receive: some criminals may be using a technique known as phishing to steal your personal information
  • Do not use caller ID to identify who is calling you, because criminals disguise their phone numbers
  • Make sure that documents that contain your name and pension number are stored in a secure place
  • Shred documents that you no longer need
  • Ask someone that you trust to pick up your mail if you going away for an extended period, or put a hold on mail delivery until you return home

How to report a fraud

If you suspect that you may be the victim of fraud related to your pension, contact the Pension Centre at  1-800-561-7930.

You should report deceptive telemarketing to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by using the fraud reporting system or by calling  1-888-495-8501.

If you believe that you have been tricked into giving out personal or financial information, contact your local police service.

If your social insurance number has been stolen, contact Service Canada at 1-800-206-7218. You can also read more about protecting your social insurance number.

Page details

Date modified: