Federal financial authorities are warning of fraudsters attempting to steal personal information by posing as regulators.
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) issued the warning today about the apparent regulatory impersonation scam. The federal regulator says that it’s aware of attempts to “obtain personal information under false pretenses from financial institutions and members of the public by claiming to be OSFI employees.”
OSFI stresses that it doesn’t solicit personal or confidential information over the phone or via email, and it recommends reporting these kinds of incidents to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Earlier this month, the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (MFDA) warned fund dealers about efforts to steal personal information by scammers posing as the MFDA.
Securities regulators, tax authorities and other agencies have also previously issued warnings about similar scams that involve identity theft, advance fee frauds and other sorts of scams.