Beware of phone, email, text scams, Canada Border Services Agency warns

Beware of scammers posing as Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials, the organization warned in a news release issued today.

These ongoing email, web, text/telephone scams involve people posing as officials from the CBSA are asking for payment or personal information, including Social Insurance Number (SIN), the release states. 

The methods and messages used are varied and ever-changing, but always designed to demand money and lure the public into providing personal information.

In some cases, these scams use false CBSA information. Telephone calls may display numbers and employee names that falsely appear to be from the CBSA. Emails may contain CBSA logos, email addresses or employee names and titles to mislead the public.

According to the release, "the CBSA never initiates a request for social insurance number and credit card number by telephone or email."

The full release is as follows: 

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is warning the public about ongoing email, web, text messages and telephone scams in which people posing as officials from the CBSA are asking for payment or personal information, including Social Insurance Number (SIN). The methods and messages used by the scammers are varied and ever-changing, but always designed to demand money and lure the public into providing personal information.

In some cases, these scams use false CBSA information. Telephone calls may display numbers and employee names that falsely appear to be from the CBSA. Emails may contain CBSA logos, email addresses or employee names and titles to mislead the public.

The CBSA never initiates a request for social insurance number and credit card number by telephone or email. If an individual receives a telephone call or an email asking for this information, or requesting payments from the CBSA, it is a scam. If this happens, please ignore, hang up, don’t answer the text or email and report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

The public should look out for fraudulent webpages and mobile applications posing as ArriveCAN or the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) and asking for money. ArriveCAN is free and secure and is the official Government of Canada platform to provide your mandatory information before and after entering Canada. An application for an Electronic Travel Authorization can only be made and paid for through the official Government of Canada website. An eTA is electronically linked to a traveller's passport and costs $7 CAD.

It is important to be vigilant. These calls, emails, and other forms of fraud should be ignored and reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.