What are the red flags of this scam?

An unsolicited call, email, or text claims your package is held at CBSA and customs duties must be paid immediately to avoid a fine or criminal charge — CBSA does not collect duties by phone or text • You are threatened with immediate deportation, arrest, or a travel ban unless you pay or provide personal details right now — real border enforcement does not operate this way • The caller ID shows a CBSA phone number or a legitimate-looking government number — caller ID spoofing is free and trivial; it proves nothing • An email uses CBSA logos and official-sounding employee names but comes from a non-government domain, or directs you to a payment website with a non-government URL • You are asked to provide your passport number, Social Insurance Number, banking details, or credit card information over the phone or through an unofficial link • The contact demands you act within hours or face escalating penalties — urgency is a pressure tactic, not how government agencies work

What should I do if this happened to me?

Hang up, delete the message, or ignore the email. The CBSA will never contact you by phone, text, or email to collect duties or personal information • If you believe you may have a genuine CBSA matter, call the CBSA directly at 1-800-461-9999 (within Canada) using the number from the official cbsa-asfc.gc.ca website — never use a number from the suspicious message • If you received a suspicious email, do not click any links. Forward it to phishing@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca and delete it • If you already shared personal information or paid, contact your bank immediately to flag the transaction and cancel any cards you provided • If you sent cryptocurrency or wire transfer, report to your local police and note the amounts and wallet addresses for investigators • Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.

HIGH government impersonation Last reported: Nov 4, 2026 Share

A call, text, or email claims to be from Canada Border Services — pay customs fees now or face deportation

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. Calls, texts, or emails pretending to be from Canada Border Services (CBSA) threaten deportation or arrest unless you pay fake customs fees or share your passport, SIN, and banking details. CBSA never contacts people this way.

Calls, texts, or emails pretending to be from Canada Border Services (CBSA) threaten deportation or arrest unless you pay fake customs fees or share your passport, SIN, and banking details. CBSA never contacts people this way.

Also known as: CBSA customs fee scam Canada, Canada Border Services fake call, fake customs duty notice Canada, deportation threat scam Canada, CBSA package fee 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, delete the message, or ignore the email. The CBSA will never contact you by phone, text, or email to collect duties or personal information
2 If you believe you may have a genuine CBSA matter, call the CBSA directly at 1-800-461-9999 (within Canada) using the number from the official cbsa-asfc.gc.ca website — never use a number from the suspicious message
3 If you received a suspicious email, do not click any links. Forward it to phishing@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca and delete it
4 If you already shared personal information or paid, contact your bank immediately to flag the transaction and cancel any cards you provided
5 If you sent cryptocurrency or wire transfer, report to your local police and note the amounts and wallet addresses for investigators
6 Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.

Red flags

⚠ An unsolicited call, email, or text claims your package is held at CBSA and customs duties must be paid immediately to avoid a fine or criminal charge — CBSA does not collect duties by phone or text
⚠ You are threatened with immediate deportation, arrest, or a travel ban unless you pay or provide personal details right now — real border enforcement does not operate this way
⚠ The caller ID shows a CBSA phone number or a legitimate-looking government number — caller ID spoofing is free and trivial; it proves nothing
⚠ An email uses CBSA logos and official-sounding employee names but comes from a non-government domain, or directs you to a payment website with a non-government URL
⚠ You are asked to provide your passport number, Social Insurance Number, banking details, or credit card information over the phone or through an unofficial link
⚠ The contact demands you act within hours or face escalating penalties — urgency is a pressure tactic, not how government agencies work

Known variants

Package customs duty variant: robocall or automated text claims CBSA is holding a parcel addressed to you with unpaid customs duties. You are directed to call a number or visit a link to pay before the package is returned or destroyed. There is no package — or the package belongs to you and duties were already paid.

Last seen: 9/17/2026
Newcomer IRCC paperwork error variant: a caller posing as IRCC or a border officer tells a newcomer there is a critical error in their immigration papers and demands immediate payment by gift card or wire transfer to avoid deportation or permit cancellation. IRCC never calls to collect fees by phone.

Last seen: 9/17/2026
Canada Post illegal-substances variant: robocall or live caller posing as CBSA says your Canada Post parcel was intercepted with drugs. Press-1 menu collects SIN, DOB, and bank balance; victim is then told to withdraw cash for a 'safe account' — or fake police come to collect it. CAFC active warning September 2026.

Last seen: 9/25/2026
RCMP 'personal info leaked' crypto account-takeover variant: caller poses as an RCMP officer, claims the victim's personal data was leaked in criminal activity, and asks them to hand over crypto exchange credentials to 'protect' the account. Sidney/North Saanich BC, September 2026; $19,000 stolen. RCMP never asks for account credentials by phone.

Last seen: 9/28/2026
RCMP court-document text: SMS claims RCMP could not deliver court documents; click a link to reschedule. Link leads to a fake rcmp-grc.gc.ca lookalike collecting personal or banking details. RCMP never issues court notices by text. Warnings from Kamloops, Saskatchewan, and nationally in 2026.

Last seen: 10/11/2026
RCMP cybercrime investigation email: an email claims the recipient is under RCMP investigation for a cybercrime offence and faces imminent arrest unless they respond immediately. Saskatchewan RCMP Oct 14, 2026 warning. Do not reply, click links, or send money or personal information — real law enforcement does not cold-email arrest threats.

Last seen: 10/14/2026
Fake court officer / 'Vancouver Sheriff's Office' call: caller claims the target missed a court date and demands immediate cash to avoid arrest. North Vancouver RCMP logged three reports in one week (Oct 7-14, 2026). There is no 'Vancouver Sheriff's Office' — real law enforcement never collects fines or settles missed court dates by phone.

Last seen: 10/28/2026
Police-and-judge follow-up scam: caller poses as a detective 'investigating' a prior contractor fraud the victim experienced; a second caller poses as a judge demanding payment (e.g. $200,000 by bank draft) to resolve court proceedings. Toronto Etobicoke, Oct 2026. No detective or judge ever calls to collect payment for a fraud investigation.

Last seen: 10/30/2026
RCMP spoofed-detachment calls: scammers spoof local detachment numbers, telling Alberta and Ontario residents they are under criminal investigation or their data was stolen. RCMP issued a national warning November 4, 2026. Real RCMP officers never call demanding money or banking details.

Last seen: 11/4/2026

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Known variants

Sources