Practical guides, workshop handouts, and recovery steps for staying safer online before, during, and after a scam.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre's message for Fraud Prevention Month is simple: Recognize, Reject, and Report. In 2025, the CAFC received over 112,000 fraud reports involving more than $704 million in reported losses — and an estimated 90–95% of victims never file a report at all.
These guides and practice tools help you recognize common scams, protect your online privacy, and reinforce what we teach in our digital literacy workshops.
A plain-language checklist for reviewing passwords, privacy settings, app permissions, and account recovery options on your phone or computer. Based on guidance from the CAFC's "Be Cyber Secure" checklist.
A short explainer covering AI-generated images, videos, and voice clips, plus the questions to ask before trusting what you see or hear online.
A one-page card showing the most common scam warning signs, with examples. Covers the CAFC's "Be Fraud Aware" tips including high-pressure tactics, urgent pleas, and unsolicited requests for personal information. Designed to print and keep near your phone or computer.
A simulated text conversation with a scammer pretending to be from a delivery company or a bank. Practice spotting the red flags before you reply.
Learn more about the learning toolA live phone call scenario where a scammer pressures you to pay fake tax debt. Practice staying calm, checking the claim, and ending the call safely.
Learn more about the learning toolA mock online marketplace rental listing and chat. Practice how to tell if a listing is real, and what information a real landlord will and won't ask for.
Learn more about the learning toolA simulated message thread from someone offering fake immigration help. Learn what legitimate immigration guidance looks like versus a scam.
Learn more about the learning toolA fake security alert followed by a scam support chat. Practice what to do when a popup tries to scare you into calling or paying.
Learn more about the learning toolA fake email that looks official at first glance. Practice checking the sender, the link, and the urgency before you click.
Learn more about the learning toolScenario topics are cross-checked against public guidance from the Canada Revenue Agency, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.
If something has already happened, here's what to do. These steps are specific to Canada and are often the same steps we review in our digital safety workshops when someone needs urgent help.
Before you begin, the CAFC recommends gathering all information related to the fraud (emails, texts, receipts, screenshots) and writing out a chronological statement of what happened. Having this ready will make every step below easier.
If you shared financial information or sent money, call your bank immediately. They may be able to stop or reverse a transaction. The number is on the back of your bank card.
Call 1-888-495-8501 or report online through the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre report page. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is a national police service jointly managed by the RCMP, Competition Bureau Canada, and Ontario Provincial Police. Reporting helps law enforcement spot patterns and protect others.
Contact Equifax Canada (1-800-465-7166) and TransUnion Canada (1-800-663-9980) to place a fraud alert on your credit file and review your credit reports. A fraud alert tells lenders to contact you and confirm your identity before approving new credit; it reduces risk but does not guarantee every fraudulent application will be stopped.
File a report with your local police service. You'll need this report number for some of the next steps. In Toronto, online reporting is available for fraud under $5,000 when the incident meets Toronto Police criteria.
Change the passwords on any accounts that may be affected. Start with your email, then bank accounts, then anything else. If you need help doing this, bring your device to one of our workshops and we'll walk through it with you.
If the fraud took place on a website, app, or online platform, report the incident directly to that service. Most major platforms have fraud or abuse reporting tools. This helps get fraudulent listings, accounts, or messages taken down before others are affected.
Know your payment method. Recovery options depend on how you paid. Credit card charges can often be disputed. E-Transfers may be reversible if the recipient hasn't deposited the funds. Wire transfers are harder to recover but contact the remitting institution immediately. Prepaid gift cards are rarely recoverable once the numbers are revealed — contact the number on the back of the card to report the fraud. Cryptocurrency transactions are very difficult to reverse.
These steps can feel overwhelming. You don't have to do them all at once, and you don't have to do them alone. Reach out to us at info@techguides.ca if you need help figuring out where to start. If you'd like to learn these skills before something goes wrong, explore our digital literacy workshops.
Recovery guidance checked against the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (including the CAFC 2026 "Show Me The Fraud" toolkit), Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, and City of Toronto 311.