Canada Immigration Bureau Scam Calls - How to Protect Yourself

Common Scam Tactics

• False Claims: They say your visa, passport, or national ID has errors, is expired, or is under criminal investigation.
• Automated Prompts: They use robocalls or pre-recorded messages telling you to press a number (such as "1" or "5") to speak with an officer.
• Intimidation and Threats: They threaten immediate arrest, jail time, fines, or forced deportation.
• Demands for Payment or Data: They ask for credit card numbers, bank transfers, gift cards, crypto, or personal identification numbers (like your Social Security, IC, or passport number).
• Caller ID Spoofing: They fake their phone numbers so the call looks like it is coming from a real government office.

What Real Immigration Offices Do

• Never ask for payments over the phone, by prepaid cards, or via wire transfer.
• Never threaten immediate arrest or demand personal banking info out of the blue.
• Communicate official matters through secure online portals (like ImmiAccount) or official written mail.

What You Should Do

• Hang up immediately and do not press any numbers on your phone's keypad.
• Do not give any personal, financial, or passport information.
• Verify independently by looking up the official phone number of the immigration agency yourself and calling them directly if you are genuinely worried about your status.
• Report the scam to your local police or national fraud reporting center (such as Scamwatch in Australia, the Anti-Fraud Centre in Canada, or CERT NZ).