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Insurance Bureau of Canada/mb/Insurance 101/Financial Literacy/Seniors, New Canadians, Teens

Seniors, New Canadians and Teens

​​Insurance scam artists often prey on seniors. New Canadians may also be victimized by being sold discounted policies that turn out to be invalid.

Regardless of your economic situation, where you live or your age, you or a loved one could be the next target of an insurance fraudster. Here are a few ways to avoid illegal or fraudulent insurance schemes:

  1. Never give financial information to strangers over the phone. If you receive an unsolicited call, hang up.
  2. Be wary of voicemails or email messages that claim to be from your insurance company and ask you to confirm or give certain personal information. This could be a scam to obtain information about your personal finances and may lead to identity theft.
  3. Do not pay your premiums through a money transfer or money wiring service. This is not a normal practice and could be a scam to get you to buy fake insurance.
  4. Recognize common scams and current fraud activities.
  5. Do not allow anyone to put your name on a police report for an accident that you were not involved in or to submit a claim for benefits to your insurance company for treatment that you do not need or receive. This could be considered a criminal offence and, if you are convicted, could leave you with a criminal record and negatively affect your life.

How to Report Fraud

Do you suspect that you just gave personal information to a dishonest caller? Did you reply to a phishing email and provide credit card information? Have you received mail about a bank account you never opened or an insurance policy you never requested? Scams happen every day and are not always easy to identify.

If you think you’ve been victimized, report the incident as soon as possible. Contact your local police as well as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Managed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Ontario Provincial Police and the Competition Bureau, this national reporting centre can be contacted in several ways.

The SeniorBusters Program

Launched in 1997, this program is run by seniors for seniors. Approximately 50 volunteers work for the organization, coming from varied backgrounds and bringing many different skills to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, (CAFC), their umbrella organization.

The program solicits and receives information from consumers about mass marketing fraud (telemarketing), advance-fee fraud letters, and email and Internet fraud, as well as identity theft complaints. Learn more about how to report an incident.