I received a call from an immigration officer. Was it a scam?

To avoid telephone scams, remember that IRCC does not:

• collect money or payments by phone or prepaid credit cards or through a private money transfer service provider (e.g. Pay Pal or MoneyGram). See how to pay your fees to find out how IRCC collects payments.
• ask you to confirm basic personal information you already provided on a form.

In some telephone scams, the caller pretends to be a police or immigration officer and tells you that you broke the law. It is probably a scam or a phishing scheme if:

• you have to pay money, or
• you need to give personal information (date of birth, passport number, bank account or credit card information, etc.), or
• you are told you will be arrested, go to jail, lose your visa or status, be deported, or have your account suspended if you don’t pay or give your personal information.

Be aware: Scammers often give a fake name and agent number to appear legitimate. If you think the caller is a scammer:

• ask for the name and number of the agent, and
• call the Call Centre to confirm the agent’s identity.

If you received a suspicious call, hang up immediately and:

• call your local police if you lost money.
• report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.