You were defrauded.
Here is what actually happens next.
Clear, current guidance on reporting fraud in Canada, what the Criminal Code and provincial law provide, and which recovery routes are genuinely worth your time. Written for the moment after it happens, when everyone is telling you something different.
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Four tracks that run at the same time
Criminal reporting, regulatory complaints, bank claims and civil recovery are separate systems with separate clocks. Progress in one does not advance the others, so start them in parallel.
Report to the right body
Police, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, your bank and — for investment losses — your provincial securities regulator each play a different role. Filing with only one of them is the most common early mistake.
The 72-hour planUnderstand what the law gives you
Fraud under s. 380 of the Criminal Code, restitution orders, the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, and the civil remedies that actually move money — Norwich orders, Mareva injunctions and tracing claims.
Canadian legal frameworkPursue recovery realistically
Chargebacks, e-Transfer recalls, bank liability under the Financial Consumer Protection Framework, OBSI escalation, and when civil litigation is worth the cost. Including honest odds.
Recovery routesAvoid the second scam
Victim lists get resold. "Asset recovery" firms, fake regulators and impostor law firms target people who have already lost money. Learn the markers before they reach you.
Recovery-room fraudThe first two weeks decide most of it
Funds move through mule accounts within hours, and platforms purge records on their own schedule. Almost every recovery that works starts with something done early.
Stop the bleeding
- Call your bank's fraud line using the number on the back of your card — not any number the caller gave you.
- Ask specifically for a recall, chargeback, or Interac e-Transfer trace, and record the time you asked.
- Freeze or lock the affected cards and accounts; revoke any remote-access software still installed.
- Stop all contact with the fraudster, but do not delete anything yet.
Preserve the evidence
- Screenshot every message, profile, transaction, wallet address and receipt before accounts vanish.
- Export bank and platform statements covering the full relationship, not just the last transfer.
- Write a plain timeline: dates, amounts, names, phone numbers, URLs, and what you were told each time.
- Change passwords from a clean device and turn on multi-factor authentication.
Report to the right bodies
- File with your local police and get the occurrence number in writing.
- Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or through its online reporting system.
- If it was an investment, report to your provincial securities regulator as well.
- Place fraud alerts with both Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada.
Open the civil and regulatory tracks
- Escalate in writing to your bank's internal ombudsman if the claim was denied.
- Speak to a civil litigator about a Norwich order or Mareva injunction while the trail is warm.
- Contact provincial victim services — many offer counselling and practical support at no cost.
- Note your limitation date; in most provinces the basic period is two years from discovery.
Know what you are describing
Naming the scheme accurately changes who has jurisdiction, which offence applies, and what evidence matters. These are the patterns most reported in Canada.
Investment & crypto fraud
Often called "pig butchering": a long grooming period on a dating app, WhatsApp or Telegram, followed by a fake trading platform that shows fabricated gains. Withdrawals fail, and you are told to pay "taxes" or "unlock fees" to release funds.
Romance fraud
A relationship built over weeks or months, always with a reason not to meet in person, ending in escalating requests for money — medical emergencies, customs fees, travel costs, or an investment "opportunity" they want to share with you.
Government & CRA impersonation
Callers or texts claiming to be the Canada Revenue Agency, Service Canada, the RCMP or a border agency, threatening arrest, deportation or SIN suspension unless you pay at once.
Bank investigator & "safe account" scams
Someone claiming to be your bank's fraud team says your account is compromised and asks you to move money to a "safe account", share a one-time passcode, or install remote-access software so they can "help".
Tech support fraud
A pop-up or cold call warns that your computer is infected. The "technician" takes remote control, shows you fake evidence, then bills you — or opens your banking and moves money directly.
Grandparent & emergency scams
A caller poses as a grandchild or a lawyer, describing an arrest or accident, demanding immediate bail money and secrecy. Increasingly uses AI voice cloning taken from social media.
Job & task scams
A remote "job" that involves rating products, boosting listings or processing payments. Small early payouts build trust before you are asked to deposit your own funds to unlock commissions.
Real estate, title & rental fraud
Title fraud transfers or mortgages a property using stolen identity. Rental fraud collects deposits for listings the "landlord" does not control. Closing-day wire redirection diverts down payments.
Business email compromise
An attacker gets into a mailbox, watches invoice traffic, then sends updated banking details from a lookalike or the genuine account. Payments land in a mule account and are moved within hours.
If someone offers to recover your money
Recovery-room fraud is the second wave, and it is aggressive. Victim details circulate on lists that get resold, so contact often arrives within weeks of the original loss — frequently by phone, impersonating a real organisation.
No Canadian police service, regulator or government body ever charges a fee to return your money. Any up-front payment, "bond", retainer in crypto, or guaranteed recovery is fraud.
That applies to calls claiming to be us. We only call people who registered with us, we always quote your reference, and we never ask for payment. If you are unsure, hang up and call the number on our contact page.
How to verify a call from us →This was not your fault
These operations are staffed, scripted and rehearsed. Many are run from compounds using trafficked labour, refined against thousands of targets. Being deceived by a professional deception system is not a character flaw.
Shame is what keeps fraud unreported, and unreported fraud is what lets it continue. Provincial victim services offer free, confidential counselling. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 anywhere in Canada.
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