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Last Updated: September 25, 2009 15:35 EDT
Still Valid: July 31, 2010 1:16 EDT
Originally Posted: September 24, 2009 14:58 EDT

Overseas fraud: an increasing threat to the safety of Canadians

Common types of scams

Although most Canadians are now aware of fraud attempts carried out by companies or individuals in foreign countries, especially in Africa, many Canadians are still victimized and cheated out of merchandise, services and money. Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast, Morocco, Algeria, Guinea and Senegal are some of the countries where fraud is a popular and lucrative activity.

Certain types of commercial or professional scams have become very common, including:

• Emails in which a foreign company requires fees or merchandise in order to honour a contract with its government.
• Emails and calls offering to purchase merchandise such as crude oil or precious stones, and making business proposals on the condition that you travel to the country in question.
• Announcements offering to purchase exotic or domestic animals from foreign countries, with advance payment required.
• Emails promising to help secure a visa or guaranteeing a job abroad.
• Emails or calls offering to make a charitable donation to an organization, by asking for information on which bank account to use.
• Loan offers from shadow banks in foreign countries, in which personal information is required in order to open an account.
• Vacation home rental offers from fake agencies using false addresses and altered photos of the home to be rented.

Other types of personal scams are reported, including:

• Emails from fictitious foreign organizations promising an inheritance, prize or money won, and asking for payment for mailing costs or taxes.
• Emails promising financial compensation, in exchange for wiring money through a personal bank account.
• Calls where a con artist poses as a foreign doctor or healthcare professional and contacts the family and friends of a Canadian traveller, informing them that the traveller is in the hospital and that money is required for medical treatment.
• Falsified emails in which a con artist poses as a Canadian known by the target who is stuck in a foreign country after being the victim of theft, an accident or kidnapping, and claiming he needs money to pay for hotel or hospital bills, visas and/or airplane tickets.
• False Internet friendships in which a con artist claims to want to come to Canada and asks for financial assistance or help obtaining an entry visa.
• Marriage schemes as a result of Internet-based relationships. These cases may involve the victim being extorted by the in-laws living abroad, or being forced to sponsor a spouse who will abandon the victim upon arrival in Canada. These types of situations are especially common in Morocco, Algeria, Guinea and Senegal.
• Letters or announcements advertising the private adoption of a child. A foreign con artist poses as the mother of a child or as a lawyer in charge of finding an adoptive family, and describes a difficult situation, often providing fake photos of a child.
• Letters addressed to former victims of fraud from fictitious organizations that claim to have successfully caught the con artists, and promising compensation for losses incurred the first time.
• Death notices sent to the loved ones of a Canadian traveller by a fictitious foreign funeral home, asking them to send money to repatriate the body to Canada. Counterfeit pieces of identification are often used.

Not only can scams cause considerable financial losses, but many of them can also represent a serious threat to the personal safety of the victims. Many victims are convinced to travel to an African country to complete a business transaction, accept a job, get married or to try to recover money sent to the con artist. Some cases have resulted in violent situations, including kidnappings and forced imprisonment. Canadian consular officials are often limited in the assistance they can provide to the victims.

Warning: increasingly common and sophisticated scams

Every day, new cases are reported in which Canadians have requested consular assistance after having their safety compromised by a scam, and it is predicted that the number of victims will continue to rise. In many countries, con artists operate without consequences, because local authorities often do not have the physical or financial resources needed to combat Internet crimes.

Organized fraud networks are developing more and more innovative and sophisticated approaches to deceive their victims and to extort money, in both small and large amounts. The criminals conduct extensive searches to create credible documents: complete profiles of fictitious businesses, medical reports, falsified export certificates, etc. The names and logos of reputable organizations, governments and government agencies are often used fraudulently. Websites that appear very authentic are also falsified.

How can you protect yourself?

Any unsolicited business proposal should be carefully examined before you send any money, provide a service or merchandise, or make travel arrangements.

• Verify your solicitor's identity.
• Before completing a transaction, verify the authenticity of the proposed method of payment or demand full payment in advance.
• Be cautious of requests for signed and stamped blank letterhead or invoices.
• Be cautious of solicitors claiming that your name was provided by someone you do not know.
• Be cautious of professional messages written with poor grammar or written with an inappropriate level of language. The country’s official language should normally be used.
• Be cautious of job offers for which the conditions seem too good to be true (unrealistic salary, paid vacations, extended holidays) or job offers that require you to pay for initial travel or required documents.
• Never disclose banking information, even if the solicitor claims to need the information to deposit a signing bonus.
• Verify entry requirements (visas) and government immigration policies in the country you plan on visiting for business. No outside organization or agency should be involved in issuing travel documents. Letters addressed to immigration officers are not valid.

Exercise caution when travelling to meet individuals met on the Internet.

• Verify the identity of the person you plan on meeting abroad.
• Keep in mind that for a foreign spouse, marrying a Canadian citizen can represent a way to obtain an immigration visa. A number of Canadians have left their jobs and their homes, and have sold all of their belongings for a marriage abroad that ended up failing or that never took place.
• Find out in advance about the laws and customs regarding relationships and marriage in the destination country. 
• Travel to the destination country with a return ticket and enough money to stay in a hotel, and keep all of your travel documents in a safe location. Keep contact information for the nearest Canadian government office abroad, in case a problem arises.

It is strongly recommended that you stay informed of current types of scams by conducting regular Internet searches.

How can you get help?

Do not hesitate to contact the nearest Canadian government office abroad or to telephone our Emergency Operations Centre at 613‑996‑8885 (collect calls are possible from certain countries) if:

• You need assistance abroad after a fraud attempt.
• You need help to return to Canada.
• You feel you will be unfairly treated under a country’s laws.
• You have doubts about the legitimacy of request for assistance from someone you know who is allegedly experiencing difficulties abroad.

The Government of Canada cannot intervene in private legal affairs, and has no influence over another country’s legal proceedings. However, officials from the nearest Canadian government office abroad can provide you with a list of lawyers in the country in question. For more information on the services offered by Canadian consular officials, visit our About us page.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s anti-fraud call centre PhoneBusters can also provide information to help you.