Students

Scam activity is on the rise in Canada, and the OCAD University student community, especially international students, can often be targeted. Fraudsters are constantly inventing new schemes or strategies to dupe individuals out of cash or valuable private data.

Types of Scams

OCAD U is aware of students who have experienced employment, housing and art commission scams, and who have had their personal information compromised by through phishing scams. OCAD U is also aware of students who have been impacted by better-than-market rate currency exchanges (a potential form of illegal money laundering), who have had their bank accounts frozen for prolongues periods.

The videos are available with captions translated to multiple languages.

Other kinds of scams that target students include fake student loans, catfishing, other forms of money laundering like using money mules and pyramid schemes. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is a great source for an extensive lists of known fraud attempts targeting individuals.

 

 

How to protect yourself

  • Be aware of what information about you can be found online.
    Fraudsters may try to 'mine' information about you and can use the names of friends and family, your location, your program of study, to help make their attempts seem authentic and legitimate. Keep your personal information like phone, email address, login information, student number and home address private and secure. Google your name to see what you find on the Internet about yourself.
  • Review privacy settings, turn on multi-factor authentication and use complex passwords
    Social media platforms routinely change their security tools. Make it a priority to check these regularly to ensure they are meeting your privacy requirements. Make use of multi-factor authentication tools whenever offered, especially on websites with sensitive data your online banking or wherever you make online purchases. Use complex passwords, and use a password managing tool to ensure every password is unique. Never share your login information.
  • Be skeptical!
    Scammers use fear and confusion to manipulate us. Scams play on our emotions to affect our ability to use logic or ask questions. If something looks too good to be true, it probably is! Scams often include an urgent requirement for you to take action. Threats of deportation, blocked accounts, urgent requirements for payment, or some other immediate action on your part are sure signs that it's a scam. Trust your instincts, and take time to check with others if you think something doesn't feel right. Getting a second opinion from a trusted person is never a bad idea.
  • Do your research
    Review website links before you click to see if they look legitimate or fake. Never give over your personal information like a Social Insurance Number to a potential employer without a proper interview, an employment contract and fulsome research into the company. Research a potential housing offer as much as possible.

     

Other common characteristics of scams

  • Job offers where a high income is promised for very little effort
  • Webpages that ask you to fill in personal information
  • Jobs where no interview is required
  • Internships or education programs promising you can transfer credit to OCAD U
  • Requests to purchase gift cards
  • Requests for housing payment to out-of-country landlords by wire-transfer
  • Art commissions where the client wants to pay you by personal cheque
  • Overpayment by personal cheque and requests to send back the extra money
  • Foreign galleries offering to showcase your work for a fee
  • Requests to pay by Bitcoin, pre-paid credit cards, e-transfer or other online currencies

     

For your safety

OCAD University will never contact students on behalf of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to request an immediate transfers of funds.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will never

  • Give or ask for personal or financial information by email and ask you to click on a link.
  • Email you a link asking you to fill in an online form with personal or financial details.
  • Set up a meeting with you in a public place to take a payment.
  • Threaten you with arrest, a prison sentence, deportation or other consequence.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will never

  • Ask you to deposit money into a personal bank account.
  • Ask you to transfer money through a private money transfer service.
  • Offer special deals to people who want to immigrate.
  • Threaten you with arrest, a prison sentence, deportation or other consequence.

 

Resources for support and reporting

If you suspect you may be the victim of a scam, it is important to come forward. There are resources available to support you. Reporting will not have an impact on your academic standing with OCAD U or your Canadian visa.