Where They Reach Us

Phone calls remain one of the most common and effective ways scammers reach seniors. Many of us were raised to answer the phone, be polite, and take callers seriously — habits that scammers are very good at exploiting. One of the most important things to understand is caller ID spoofing: scammers can make any number appear on your call display — including your bank, the CRA, or your local police. The name and number you see do not tell you who is actually calling.

Phishing emails are messages designed to look exactly like legitimate communications from banks, government agencies, or companies you do business with. The goal is usually to get you to click a link that leads to a fake website built to steal your login, personal information, or payment details. Many now include correct logos, professional formatting, and even your name or partial account information to seem more credible.

"Smishing" — phishing by text message — is one of the fastest-growing scam channels in Canada. Texts are shorter and feel less formal than emails, which can make suspicious messages easier to miss. They may appear to come from your bank, Canada Post, the CRA, or a benefits program — and they land in the same place as messages from family and friends, which can lower your guard.

Online shopping has become part of daily life, and with it, scams designed to take advantage of our familiarity with the process: fake retail websites that look like real stores, fraudulent marketplace listings, and sellers who take payment but never deliver. Seniors newer to online shopping may be less familiar with what legitimate sites look like — making this a channel that deserves extra attention.

Platforms like Facebook and Instagram have become a significant entry point for scammers targeting seniors — used to gather information, make initial contact, and build the kind of trust that makes requests feel reasonable. One often-overlooked risk: scammers search social media for details before making contact. They may already know your grandchild's name, where you live, and recent events in your life when they call — which makes their story much more convincing.

Unexpected visitors offering home repairs, energy audits, or charity collections are a persistent fraud risk. These encounters feel more personal and harder to dismiss than a phone call — especially when someone is at your door. A common pattern is the contractor who "just happened to be in the neighbourhood" and noticed a problem with your roof or furnace, then creates urgency and pressures you to pay cash before they leave.

Fraudulent investment seminars often look remarkably legitimate — professional venues, polished presenters, a free meal or gift. The goal is to create excitement and urgency around an opportunity, ideally having you commit before the event is over. They exploit the fear of missing out: when others in the room seem eager and the presenter appears successful, it's hard to slow down and think critically.

Despite the rise of digital fraud, fraudulent mail remains a significant channel. Prize notifications, fake cheques, and official-looking government notices arrive in mailboxes every day. Mail often feels more legitimate than a suspicious email, because we associate physical mail with formal communication — and scammers take full advantage of this assumption.