What to do if you Get Scammed

Although it may be hard to recover any money that you have lost to a scam, there are steps you can take to reduce the damage and avoid becoming a target for a follow-up scam. The more quickly you act, the greater your chance of reducing your losses. Report a scam. By reporting the scam to authorities, they may be able to warn other people about the scam and minimize the chances of the scam spreading further. You should also warn your friends and family of any scams that you come across.

Contact your Sheriff of District Attorney’s office and consider getting independent advice to examine your options: there may be a cooling-off period or you may be able to negotiate a refund.

Call your financial institution immediately so they can suspend your account and limit the amount of money you lose. Credit card companies may also be able to perform a “charge back” (reverse the transaction) if they believe that your credit card was billed fraudulently.

Do not use contact details that appear in emails or on websites that you are suspicious of—they will probably be fake and lead you to a scammer. You can find legitimate contact details in the phone book, an account statement or on the back of your ATM card.

Stop taking any pills or substances that you are not sure about. See a doctor or other qualified medical professional as soon as you can. Be sure to tell them about the treatment that the scammer sold (take along any substances, including their packaging). Also tell them if you have stopped any treatment that you were taking before the scam.

If you sent your credit card details, follow the instructions in the section opposite. If you sent money through an electronic funds transfer (over the Internet), contact your financial institution immediately. If they have not already processed the transfer, they may be able to cancel it.

If you sent a check, contact your financial institution immediately. If the scammer hasn’t already cashed your check, they may be able to cancel it.

If you sent money through a wire service (such as Western Union or Money Gram), contact the wire service immediately. If you are very quick, they may be able to stop the transfer.

You may be protected by laws that provide you with a “cooling-off” period, during which you can cancel an agreement or contract that you signed. Contact your provincial or territorial consumer affairs office for advice about door-to-door sales laws.

If you were using your computer when you got scammed, it is possible that a virus or other malicious software is still on your computer. Run a full system check using reliable security software.

If you do not have security software (such as virus scanners and a firewall) installed on your computer, a computer professional can help you choose what you need.

Scammers may have also gained access to your online passwords. Change these using a secure computer.

Call your telephone provider and let them know what has happened.

• Only give out your personal details and information where it is absolutely necessary and when you trust the person you are speaking to or dealing with.
• Destroy personal information: don’t just throw it out. You should cut up or shred old bills, statements or cards—for example, credit cards and ATM cards.
• Treat your personal details like you would treat money: don’t leave them lying around for others to take.

• Never send money to anyone that you don’t know and trust.
• Do not send any money or pay any fee to claim a prize or lottery winnings. 
• “Jobs” asking you to simply use your own bank account to transfer money for somebody could be a front for money-laundering activity. Money laundering is a serious criminal offence.
• Avoid transferring or wiring any refunds or overpayments back to anyone you do not know.

• If someone comes to your door, ask to see some identification. You do not have to let them in, and they must leave if you ask them to.
• Before you decide to pay any money, if you are interested in what a door-to-door salesperson has to offer, take the time to find out about their business and their offer.
• Contact the Better Business Bureau if you are unsure about a seller that comes to your door.

• If you receive a phone call from someone you do not know, always ask for the name of the person you are speaking to and who they represent. Verify this information by calling the company yourself.
• Do not give out your personal, credit card or online account details over the phone unless you made the call and the phone number came from a trusted source.
• It is best not to respond to text messages or missed calls that come from numbers you do not recognize.
• Be especially wary of phone numbers beginning with 1-800. These may be charged at a higher rate than other numbers and can be very expensive.

• Never reply to a spam email, even to unsubscribe—often, this just serves to “verify” your address to scammers. The best course of action is to delete any suspicious emails without opening them.
• Turn off the “viewing pane” as just viewing the email may send a verification notice to the sender that yours is a valid email address. 
• Legitimate banks and financial institutions will never ask you for your account details in an email or ask you to click on a link in an email to access your account.
• Never call a telephone number or trust other contact details that you see in a spam email.

• Install software that protects your computer from viruses and unwanted programs and make sure it is kept current. If you are unsure, seek the help of a computer professional.
• If you want to access a website, use a bookmarked link to the website or type the address of the website into the browser yourself. Never follow a link in an email.
• Check website addresses carefully. Scammers often set up fake websites with addresses very similar to legitimate websites.
• Beware of websites offering “free” downloads (such as music, adult content, games and movies). Downloading these products may install harmful programs onto your computer without you knowing.
• Avoid clicking on pop-up ads—this could lead to harmful programs being installed on your computer.
• Never enter your personal, credit card or online account information on a website that you are not sure is genuine.
• Never send your personal, credit card or online banking details through an email.
• Avoid using public computers (at libraries or Internet cafes) to do your Internet banking or online shopping.
• When using public computers, clear the history and cache of the computer when you finish your session.
• Be careful when using software on your computer that auto-completes online forms. This can give Internet scammers easy access to your personal and credit card details.
• Choose passwords that would be difficult for anyone else to guess—for example, passwords that include letters and numbers. You should also regularly change passwords.
• When buying anything online, print out copies of all transactions and only pay via a secure site. If using an Internet auction site, note the ID numbers involved and read all the security advice on the site first.