Scam type
Other Fraud
Fraud does not always match a tidy label. Fake job offers that require an upfront 'training fee', deposits paid for rental properties that do not exist, business invoices quietly redirected to a criminal's account, promised loans or inheritances released only after a 'processing charge', and so-called recovery agents who target people who have already been defrauded — all follow the same underlying pattern: a plausible story, a payment, and then silence or fresh demands.
If your situation does not fit any of our named categories, or you are simply not sure what happened, that is fine. The assessment process is identical for every case: we look at what you were told, what you paid, and where the money went, then help you organise the evidence and identify the reporting and dispute channels that may apply. Uncategorised cases are welcome.
The pattern
How this scam typically works
A believable pretext
The fraud starts with a story that fits your circumstances: a job listing when you are searching for work, a well-priced flat in a tight rental market, a supplier email during a real business relationship, or an offer to recover money you have already lost.
Borrowed credibility
Fraudsters imitate real employers, letting agents, suppliers, or authorities — cloned websites, spoofed email addresses, copied logos, and documents that look official at a glance. The details are close enough to pass a quick check.
The payment request
Money is requested before anything is delivered: a holding deposit, an equipment or training fee, an 'updated' bank account for an invoice, a tax or release charge on a promised sum. The amount is often modest at first to lower resistance.
Escalation or disappearance
Once a payment is made, either new fees appear — each described as the final one — or contact stops entirely. In invoice fraud, the loss may only surface when the genuine supplier chases the unpaid bill.
Warning signs
- You are asked to pay before receiving anything: a job, a property viewing, a loan, or a promised payout
- Payment is requested by bank transfer, gift cards, or cryptocurrency rather than protected methods
- Bank details change at short notice, or the account name does not match the company or person you are dealing with
- You cannot verify the other party independently — no registered address, no listing on official registers, no traceable phone line
- There is pressure to act quickly, keep the arrangement confidential, or skip normal checks
- Someone contacts you unprompted offering to recover money you have already lost, usually for an upfront fee
What to do right now
- Stop all further payments, whatever the stated reason — legitimate employers, landlords, lenders, and recovery bodies do not demand escalating fees.
- Contact your bank or card issuer immediately, explain that you believe you have been defrauded, and ask what recall or dispute options apply to each payment.
- Report the matter to your local police or national fraud-reporting service and keep the reference number safe.
- Preserve every record before accounts or listings disappear: messages, emails, adverts, invoices, payment confirmations, and screenshots.
- Break off contact with the suspected fraudster and be cautious of any new approach that references your case — follow-up scams often target people who have recently reported fraud.
Evidence worth collecting
- Bank and card statements showing each payment, with dates and recipient details
- The original advert, job listing, rental listing, or offer, saved or screenshotted
- All emails, messages, and call logs with the other party
- Invoices, contracts, tenancy documents, or offer letters you were sent
- The website addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and account names used
- Records of any identity documents or personal information you shared
- Reference numbers from reports already made to police, banks, or platforms
How ChargeBack can help
- Assess your case even when it does not fit a standard category, and explain what type of fraud it most closely resembles
- Reconstruct a clear timeline of contact, promises, and payments
- Organise your documents and screenshots into a coherent case file you can share
- Analyse where your payments went, including on-chain tracing when cryptocurrency was involved
- Prepare a written summary and identify the dispute, recall, or complaint channels that may apply to each payment
We assess and document; banks, payment providers, and authorities decide outcomes. No recovery can be guaranteed by anyone.
Possible channels
Dispute and reporting channels that may apply
Which channels are realistic depends on how you paid, where the money went, and how quickly the incident was reported.
Card chargeback
If any payment was made by credit or debit card, your issuer may be able to raise a dispute under card-scheme rules, for example for services never provided. Time limits apply, so raise it promptly.
Bank transfer recall
For bank transfers, your bank can attempt to recall funds from the receiving bank. Some countries also operate reimbursement schemes for authorised push-payment fraud — ask your bank what applies to you.
Police and fraud-reporting services
A police or national fraud-office report creates the official record that banks, platforms, and insurers rely on, and it can connect your case to wider investigations.
Platform and employer reporting
Report fake listings and profiles to the job board, rental portal, or marketplace where you found them. For invoice fraud, notify the genuine supplier and your own finance or IT team so the compromise can be closed.
In Canada
Where to report and complain in Canada
The official routes for someone who lives in Canada. Report quickly, and keep the file numbers you are given — every one of these bodies works from the evidence you hold.
Your local police
Report the fraud to your local police service — or to the RCMP where it polices your area — and ask for a file or occurrence number. Banks and exchanges often ask for it, and it belongs at the front of your evidence.
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
Report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre as well, online or by telephone on 1-888-495-8501. The CAFC asks for reports even from people who have already gone to the police, and from witnesses as well as victims, because it is how patterns across Canada are found.
Your bank or card issuer — straight away
Use the number on the back of your card or on your bank's own website, never one given to you by the person or site involved. Ask the bank to stop further payments and to try to recall or dispute the money, and make a formal complaint. Note the date you complained: it starts the clock for the next step.
If your bank says no: OBSI
The Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments is the free, independent complaints body that every federally regulated bank in Canada must belong to. You can take your complaint to OBSI once 56 days have passed since you first complained to the bank, or sooner if the bank has already given you its final response. Once you have that final response in writing, you have 180 calendar days. Credit unions and caisses populaires are regulated by their province and have their own routes — ask yours which applies.
If your identity was used
Ask Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada to place a fraud alert on your credit file, and check your credit reports for accounts or applications you do not recognise.
General information from each body's published guidance, not advice on Canadian law. Confirm deadlines with the body concerned.
FAQ
Common questions
Start here
Start with a free, confidential consultation.
Tell us what happened. We will review the information and explain whether our services are relevant — and, if you choose to proceed, exactly what any investigation would involve and cost.