The federal immigration minister is urging Canadians and prospective newcomers to remain vigilant against immigration scams as part of Fraud Prevention Month.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Lena Metlege Diab said fraudsters are increasingly using evolving technologies to exploit people hoping to come to Canada.
In a statement Monday, Diab called on the public to take three steps to combat immigration fraud: spot warning signs, stop before acting, and report suspicious activity.
“Fraudsters are finding new ways to exploit people hoping to come to Canada,” Diab said. “Our message is clear: we will continue to take strong actions to detect, deter, and prevent immigration and citizenship fraud.”
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The minister said warning signs can include pressure to act quickly, requests for large cash payments, or promises of guaranteed visas or faster processing…
Cyber fraud uses technology as the primary weapon. It is highly scalable and can be conducted from anywhere in the world.
- Phishing/Smishing/Vishing: Using deceptive emails (phishing), text messages (smishing), or phone calls (vishing) to trick victims into clicking malicious links or revealing sensitive data.
- Business Email Compromise (BEC): A high-value scam where a criminal impersonates a CEO or high-level executive via a “spoofed” email address to trick a staff member into making an urgent, unauthorized wire transfer.