Canada splits fraud response between a national intelligence body and local enforcement. Understanding the difference prevents the common frustration of reporting once and hearing nothing.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
The CAFC collects reports nationally and feeds intelligence to law enforcement. It is the right place to report, and the reference it issues is useful, but it does not investigate your individual case. Expect data collection rather than case management.
Local police
Your police service of jurisdiction takes the criminal report. Many financial institutions want a police file number before escalating an unauthorised transaction, so file early rather than waiting to see whether the bank resolves it first.
Your financial institution
Contact the fraud department directly rather than general customer service. For card transactions, ask specifically about a chargeback and note the deadline. For e-transfers, ask whether the funds have been deposited — an unclaimed transfer can sometimes be cancelled, a deposited one generally cannot.
Identity theft
- Place a fraud alert with both national credit bureaus — each must be contacted separately.
- Request your credit reports and check for accounts you did not open.
- Report to the CAFC and local police, and keep both reference numbers.
Disputes with registered businesses
Where the other party is a real, registered business, provincial consumer protection offices handle complaints, and the rules vary by province. For regulated financial services, the federal financial consumer agency and the relevant external complaints body handle escalation after the institution's own process.