Verified help — no searching required

When you’ve been scammed, the last thing you need is to search online for help and wonder whether the “official” result at the top is real. Some of them aren’t — scammers buy sponsored ads that look legitimate. Every organization below was verified from its official source. To be safe, type the web addresses into your browser yourself rather than clicking search results.

If this is hitting you hard

If the scam has left you shaken, hopeless, or thinking about hurting yourself, you don’t have to sit with that alone: 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline — call or text 988, free, 24/7, across Canada. It’s okay to call just because you need to talk.

Report the fraud

• Your bank or card company
  Call them first — tell them it’s fraud, freeze your cards and accounts, and ask what they need from you to investigate. This is usually the most urgent step.
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
  1-888-495-8501 (toll-free) · antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
  Canada’s national hub for reporting fraud and scams. Open Monday–Friday, 10:00 am–4:45 pm Eastern. The site is in English and French.
• Your local police
  There is no single national fraud phone line — call your local police non-emergency number to file a report. You can also file online through the national system at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca.
• Competition Bureau Canada
  1-800-348-5358 (toll-free) · competition-bureau.canada.ca
  The federal agency for deceptive marketing and unfair business practices. Open Monday–Friday, 8:00 am–4:00 pm Eastern (closed 12:00–1:00 pm).

If it happened online

• Canadian Centre for Cyber Security
  1-833-292-3788 (toll-free) · cyber.gc.ca
  Report cyber incidents like phishing, hacking, and ransomware.
• FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) (United States)
  ic3.gov — the FBI’s online hub for reporting internet crime. Warning: scammers impersonate IC3. Type ic3.gov into your browser yourself; don’t click links to get there.
• US Federal Trade Commission (United States)
  ReportFraud.ftc.gov — report scams and bad business practices. The online form is open to anyone.

Protect your identity

• Equifax Canada
  1-800-465-7166 · equifax.ca
  Ask for a free fraud warning on your credit file.
• TransUnion Canada
  1-800-663-9980 · transunion.ca
  Ask for a fraud alert on your credit file. Call both bureaus — a warning at one doesn’t cover the other.

Before you call

You don’t need your story perfectly organized. “I think I was scammed and I need help” is enough to start. That’s literally what these lines are for.

Contact details verified against official sources, October 2026. If a number doesn’t work, tell us — we’ll fix it.