Masters in the art of manipulation, scammers use social media and online dating sites to trick their victims into fake relationships to get money from them under a variety of pretexts. They usually live in another country or province and let the long-distance relationship build over a period of several months. The victims, both men and women, are convinced they are in a real relationship. Before they have a chance to meet, an unexpected event occurs, such as an accident, illness of a family member, lack of funds to travel to meet in person, or trouble with the law, resulting in a request for money. More and more requests for money follow.

Victims often lose their life savings and have to live with the grief and embarrassment that the relationship they believed in was a scam.

In 2024, romance scams cost Canadians a total of $58.4 million.

To learn more, read the article Dating scams: When love comes at a price.

In this type of scam, the fraudster on the phone may claim to be an employee of your financial institution, the government, local police or a non-profit organization, or even pretend to be a close relative. Their goal is to get people to give up confidential information or transfer money.

How to spot this scam

The fraudster:

• Claims to be a third party and demands a certain amount of money or asks you questions to get personal information
• Says this is urgent
• Says this must remain confidential
• Tells you there will be consequences if you don't act immediately

Tips

• When the person claims to be a close relative, ask a few personal questions that only your close relatives would know the answer to: a relative's name, where they were born, a family memory, etc.
• If the person tells you they work for a financial institution or company, take down their name and call them back using the institution or company's official phone number (not the number that they gave you).
• Never share confidential information with someone who called you.
• Verify the information even if the person asked you to keep your conversation confidential.
• Never transfer money immediately after getting a request to do so by phone.
• Don't rely on the phone number displayed. Scam artists can make their numbers appear legitimate.
• Feel free to hang up at any time if something doesn't seem right.
• To get psychological support, contact your CLSC (in French only) - External link. or the Crime Victims Assistance Centre (CAVAC) - External link..

Can't shake a nagging doubt?

Contact:

• AccèsD
  • Toll-free: 1-800-CAISSES (1-800-224-7737)
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
  • Toll-free: 1-888-495-8501
  • Toll-free fax: 1-888-654-9426
  • Website of Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre - External link.
• Aide Abus Aînés (Elder Mistreatment Helpline)
  • Toll-free: 1-888-489-2287
  • Report financial abuse
• Police
  • Toll-free: 911
• Your local police station.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a kind of technology that allows machines to mimic human thinking.

Scammers can use AI to:

• Write texts, emails and messages in the style and language of a certain person or organization
• Imitate a person’s voice
• Create fake images, audio or videos of real people
• Collect personal information from someone’s social media

How to detect an artificial intelligence scam

Images and videos

AI can be used to create images and videos that look and sound real. Watch out for signs that something might be fake, like unnatural body movements, unclear speech, missing details (such as a missing hand) or poor image quality.

Example

You see a video on social media with celebrities advertising investment products that let you get rich quickly.

Phone calls

Scammers can use AI to imitate the voice of someone you know. Be suspicious and think before reacting if you receive a call about an emergency situation, even if you recognize the person’s voice.

Example

You answer a phone call and recognize the voice of a family member. They say it’s an emergency and urgently ask for money or personal information, such as your credit card number or social insurance number (SIN).

Emails and text messages

AI can be used to create personalized messages based on personal information found on social media. Avoid sharing details about your personal life online, including your interests and hobbies.

Example

You post some photos from your last vacation on social media. A scammer uses your photos and personal details to pretend to be you. They send one of your friends a message that looks like it’s from you, asking for money to cover fake hospital bills.

Tips to protect yourself

• Always make sure information you see on social media is accurate by checking reliable sources. Do this even if the message appears to come from a trusted organization or person.
• Create a secret code word with your loved ones. If someone calls asking for money, ask for the code word to make sure it’s really them.
• Always make sure the situation being told to you is real. Look up the official phone number of the organization contacting you, or contact your loved one using the phone number you normally use.
• Limit the information you share on social media.
• If needed, strengthen your security settings for your accounts and devices.

Get more tips on how to avoid, detect and report phishing scams

Investment fraud is a strategy used by criminals to convince you to invest your money in no-risk get-rich-quick schemes.

Learn more

Be wary of sites with job application forms that require personal information (name, social insurance number, date of birth, address, phone number, etc.). Fraud artists post tempting job offers using the names of prestigious companies.

Classified ads also sometimes disguise pyramid schemes as legitimate job offers. Be careful! Pyramid schemes are illegal under The Competition Act and you could be prosecuted.