Fake bank or police investigator
A story
Gisèle, 72, in Gatineau, gets a call on a Thursday morning. The caller ID shows her credit union's number. “Anti-fraud team. We've spotted suspicious transactions. An employee at your branch is involved: don't mention this to them.” Gisèle is alarmed, and she wants to help.
They make her an “investigation partner”. A second caller, “Inspector Gagnon”, confirms. He explains that her savings are no longer safe at the credit union and must be converted to cryptocurrency while the investigation runs. He has her install an app “to follow the operation”.
Step by step, he guides her: open an account on a platform, buy crypto, then send it to a “secure wallet” he gives her. She suspects nothing: it's all to trap the thieves. It takes three days for her daughter to ask: “Mom, who told you to do this?”
A fictional story inspired by real cases. Names and details are invented.
How it works
Call
Someone claims to be from your bank, the police or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. The caller ID can be faked to look like the real number.
Cover story
You're told your account is compromised or that a bank employee is involved, and you're asked to help with an investigation.
Secrecy and urgency
You're told not to talk to anyone, including bank staff, and to act quickly.
Moving money into crypto
You're asked to buy cryptocurrency or transfer it to a “secure wallet”. Sometimes you're made to install a remote-access app so they can guide you.
The warning signs
- A call about fraud asking you to help with an investigation
- A request to keep it secret, even from your bank
- A request to convert your savings to crypto to “protect” them
- You're coached on what to say if bank staff ask questions
- Several callers posing as authorities
If it happens to you
- Hang up. Call your bank back using the number on your card, ideally from another phone.
- Don't buy or transfer any crypto at a caller's request.
- If crypto was already sent, contact your platform through its official app and keep the receipts.
- Report to police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (1-888-495-8501).
Official contacts → · Your platform's help page →
Have you already sent money?
Don't send anything else, even to “unlock” your funds. Here's how to protect what's left and report the fraud.
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