2. Learn some common types of scams

Scammers create new scams all the time. But all scams try to use your emotions and feelings to trick you.

Some scams try to make you feel scared or afraid. You're told to send money or share your bank or card information right away to solve the problem. Some examples:

Authority : A caller says you're in trouble with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the government, your bank, or credit card company. You're told you owe taxes or money. Or you're told your account is hacked or you're the victim of and you need to share your .
Emergency or grandparent scam: Someone pretends to be a family member or friend in trouble. They say they need money because, for example, they got robbed, were in an accident, or are in the hospital.
Tech support scam: A message appears on your computer or phone that says your device has a virus. The message does not go away. It includes a phone number for technical support. You call and are told you must send money to fix the problem.

Some scams try to make you feel happy because you think that you're saving money, getting a job, or going to get rich. Some examples:

Facebook Marketplace scam: You get a message from someone wanting to buy an item you've listed on Facebook Marketplace. The person offers to pay by e-transfer and sends you an Interac link that looks real. You click on it and think you're at your bank's website and enter the username and password of your bank account to deposit their money. But it's a fake website that steals your login information.
Fake giveaway scam: You see a post on social media that if you follow, like, or repost the poster's content you can win a prize like money, a gift card, or cryptocurrency. But to get the prize, you must first send them your banking or other personal information.
Lottery or prize scam: You get a call or message saying you won a big lottery or prize, like a car or vacation. Or that someone died and left you money. But to get the prize or money, you must first send money, for example, to pay a fee, or shipping charges.
Investment scam: You see online ads or posts on how to get rich quickly by investing in a particular stock, or cryptocurrency, so you send money.
Ticket scam: You see social media posts that someone's selling tickets to a sold-out event, for example, a concert or sports match. You send money but the tickets never arrive.
Telemarketing or door-to-door scams: You're offered a deal on a product or service. You sign up for it and pay but get nothing in return. Or you may get a very poor product or service.
Employment scam: You're offered a job, but before you're hired, you have to pay for training or give them your SIN.
Recovery scam: After you've been scammed, scammers contact you and promise to recover your money or improve your if you pay a fee. You send them money but they do not help.

Some scams make you feel loved, for example:

Romance scam: You get a social media request from a stranger to be friends. They seem nice and you accept the request. After some time, you begin to trust this person and think you share a special relationship. But whenever you make plans to meet, there's a problem. They ask to borrow money for a plane ticket. Or they tell you that they're sick and need money to pay medical bills. You send them money, but then they ask for more, or they ignore your messages, block you, or delete their profile.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has a list of scams on their website.