Fraud prevention

A scam is defined as a dishonest scheme or swindle. Fraud is defined as wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain. Most scams want money or sensitive personal information.           

Often scams impersonate trusted businesses or government agencies and can be quite convincing. The caller may be persistent and say they have a complaint against you, that they know your name and address, or have contact information for your families. They may also say that if you don’t co-operate you will be arrested and either detained or deported.         

Please be aware of fraudulent telephone calls or emails from people claiming to be Service Canada, Canada Revenue Agency, Immigration, Refugee, Citizenship of Canada (IRCC), law enforcement, etc.         

These are examples of what the scammers may ask you for:

• What is your banking information?
  
• What is your Social Insurance Number?
  
• What kind of credit card do you use?
  
• What is the balance in your bank account?
  

For more information on how to recognize the signs of a scam, please visit: The Little Black Book of Scams

Visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: What to do if you are a victim of fraud for information on how to report an incident.

Reject the scam.           

• If you are receiving a call and recognize a scam, please hang up immediately. Do not confirm your name or any personal information.
• If you are receiving an email and recognize a scam, do not open any attachments, or click on any links. Do not reply to the email.

If you are unsure about the legitimacy of a call or email, please contact the International Office by email or call 519-748-5220, ext. 3556 before any action is taken.               

Yes. If you have been targeted by a scam or are a victim, please ensure you report the crime. You should report the scam to:

1. Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or call 1-888-495-8501.
2. Your local police.
   • If you live in Kitchener, Cambridge or Waterloo, please contact the Waterloo Regional Police.
   • If you live in Brantford, please contact the Brantford Police Service.
   • If you live in Guelph, please contact the Guelph Police Service.
3. Safety and Security at Conestoga College.
4. The International Office. You can reach us by email or by calling 519-748-5220, ext. 3556.

Tuition fee payment scam

If you are contacted by someone offering tuition discounts or reduced fee payment options, please notify the college immediately by emailing studentfees@conestogac.on.ca. This is an example of a tuition fee scam.   

Conestoga College does not offer tuition discounts through any providers or partners and we advise that you DO NOT interact with anyone claiming to offer discounts to students or applicants. All fees must be paid through Conestoga approved payment options.   

Remember, never provide your personal financial information or Conestoga login details to anyone.   

Fake roommate

Scammer pretends to be looking for a room to rent and agrees to send you a deposit. The deposit is much higher than the agreed upon amount (e.g. $4000 instead of $400). They claim it was a mistake and they ask for the difference back. The victim deposits the cheque and sends the difference back to the scammer. The cheque was fraudulent, and the victim has lost a large sum (i.e. $3600).  

Warning signs: unable to meet in person and sends a cheque for incorrect amount.   

Fake landlord

Landlord says they have a great property and maybe even shows photos or video, but they say they are out of town and cannot meet in person. The landlord says they will send you the keys/lease in the mail if you provide them a deposit electronically. The landlord then stops responding to the victim.  

Warning signs: rental seems too nice for the rent requested, landlord unable to meet in person and overeager to rent to you.    

IRCC

The victim receives a call or email indicating they are under investigation and demand they pay for a lawyer and send them money through pre-paid gift cards money wires or email transfers. They often threaten deportation or arrest.  

Warning signs: IRCC will never contact you in person, online or by telephone to collect fees or fines and claim it is to avoid deportation.   

Romance

Victim connects with partner over dating application/website and the romantic partner may ask for revealing/private pictures. The romantic partner blackmails the student into giving them money or else they will send pictures to friends and family.   

Warning signs: Romantic partner cannot meet you in person, asks for private pictures, asks for money/gifts to be sent electronically.   

Microsoft

A person receives a call from Microsoft who says that their computer is compromised, and they need to download a software to fix their computer. Then the victim unknowingly downloads malware onto their computer.

Warning signs: Email saying your computer is compromised. An urgent request for you to click on a link or download a software.

Fake job

Beware of scams offering remote work opportunities. Do your research. The job is a scam if:  

• there is very little information about the company
• they ask you to transfer money
• the job seems too good to be true
  

Do not click on links in text messages from unknown numbers and never provide personal information to unverified employers or recruiters. Be cyber safe during your online job search.  

• Never give out personal and/or financial information over the phone to an unverified source.
  
• If you do not know the sender of the email, do not open or click on any links.
  
• Be suspicious of any communication that sounds too good to be true, or where you must act quickly to avoid a serious consequence.
  
• You can always reach out to an International Transition Coordinator if you have any questions.