You receive an email from your financial institution. It states that your personal information in your profile has expired and needs to be confirmed to keep your account open. The email features a link to a website where you are asked to enter personal information. What should you do?

In today’s world, fraudsters are increasingly using sophisticated methods to target people from all walks of life. If you come across a situation, such as the one above, always proceed with caution and do the following:

STOP immediately and take a moment to think about whether the request seems to be a legitimate one.

ASSESS the situation and look for red flags that could signal the sign of a scam.

SPEAK UP by contacting your financial institution and report suspicious activity to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Legitimate financial institutions will not ask their customers for personal information through email, text or voicemail. Never reply to an email that requests your personal information. Always follow your instincts – if it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

Educating yourself on some of the common schemes is an important step in protecting yourself against fraud. Our friends at Interac have developed a list of common scams and what you can do to protect yourself from falling victim to these scams. Click here to learn more about the following:

• Government-Relief Funding Scam
• Romance Scam
• Gift Card Scam
  
• Rental Scam
  
• Fraudulent Vehicle Sale
  
• Lottery Scam
  
• Email Account Scam
  
• “Work From Home” Ads
  
• Online Marketplace Scam
  

For more information regarding fraud, including more tips on how to protect yourself, visit the Competition Bureau of Canada website