A caller claims to be your bank's fraud team — move your money to a "safe account" now
A caller pretends to be from your bank's fraud team (RBC, TD, Scotiabank, BMO, CIBC, Desjardins) saying suspicious transactions have been detected. They urgently instruct you to Interac e-Transfer all funds to a "safe account" while they investigate. The account belongs to them or a money mule.
Also known as: safe account scam Canada, bank fraud team impersonation, Interac e-Transfer authorized push payment fraud, RBC TD fraud call scam
Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes
- 1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
- 2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
- 3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.
What to do right now
- 1 Hang up. Call your bank back on the number on the back of your debit or credit card, or the branch's published line
- 2 Never move money to a 'safe account' at your bank's instruction — that instruction does not exist in real fraud investigations
- 3 If you already sent Interac e-Transfer: call your bank immediately — if the recipient hasn't accepted it, it can sometimes be cancelled. Interac and the Big Six banks have improved 'authorized push payment' recovery processes since 2024
- 4 If you already sent a wire: recovery is much harder — but call the bank within the same business day for the best chance
- 5 File a fraud complaint with FCAC (Financial Consumer Agency of Canada) if you feel your bank did not adequately protect you
- 6 Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.
Red flags
- ⚠ A caller claims to be from your bank's fraud team and asks you to act immediately — real bank fraud teams give you time and never rush
- ⚠ You are told there is an internal investigation and other bank staff (including the branch) cannot be trusted
- ⚠ You are instructed to Interac e-Transfer all funds to a 'safe account' — real bank fraud protection never moves money out of your account
- ⚠ The caller ID shows your bank's real number — CLI spoofing is trivial and proves nothing
- ⚠ You are asked to lie to your bank branch or teller about the reason for the transfer, or to say it's for a home renovation, a family gift, or a car purchase
- ⚠ You are told to move the money in stages under $10,000 to 'avoid triggering their fraud detection'
Known variants
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'Refund' variant: caller says a fraudulent charge was detected and offers a refund. They set up a fake 'secure' session where you appear to receive too much ($5,000 instead of $50) — then pressure you to send the difference back via Interac e-Transfer. The refund was just moved between your own accounts.
Last seen: 5/30/2026