Helpful Tips to Help Avoid Gift Card Fraud

  • No Canadian Government entity will accept any form of gift card as payment.  This includes the CRA, local police department and RCMP.
  • Don’t purchase a gift card if it appears that the packaging has been damaged, altered or manipulated in any way. Select another gift card or ask someone who works at that store for help.
  • Common Gift Scam:
    • A stranger or someone pretending to be a loved one calls and says they are in trouble, they ask you to provide gift card numbers to help them.  Hang up and contact your loved one directly.
    • Don’t always trust your caller ID. Scammers can manipulate a caller ID to look like a number of a friend, a legitimate company or government agency.  When in any doubt hang up and call back, ensure to validate the appropriate number for that  company or government agency.
  • If you think you are a victim of fraud report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre as quickly as you can.  Link below or by call 1-888-495-8501.
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