Telephone Scam Warning from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)

Friday, July 17, 2015

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is warning the public of fraudulent telephone calls where the caller pretends to be a CIC officer. 

In these scams, the caller may:

  • Accuse you of breaking immigration laws and threaten you with deportation or arrest if you do not pay a fine.
  • Ask you to confirm personal information such as your date of birth, passport number, Social Insurance Number (SIN), landing date, credit card number or bank account information.
  • Ask for money by pre-paid credit card or through a private money transfer provider.

CIC doesn’t make these types of calls and if you receive one it is likely fraudulent.  Do not give the caller money or personal information. If you receive a threatening call, hang up and phone your local police.  You should also report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by telephone at 1-888-495-8501, through their website or by email.

If you are not sure whether the call is legitimate or not, you can ask the caller for their name and then call the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100 to confirm.

You can find out more about how to avoid becoming a victim on fraud on the CIC website.

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