--- title: Senior scams on the rise in Canada description: In Canada, there are senior benefits scams, grandparent scams, investment scams and other phone scams that target seniors. See how these scams work. image: https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Canada-Senior-Benefits-Scam-B.jpg --- [![Hiya logo](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-new-purple.svg)](https://www.hiya.com/) Solutions Solutions [For Mobile Operators Protect your network](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/operators) [For Businesses Brand your calls](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/businesses) [For People Get the mobile app](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-spam-blocker) ###### Webinar Branded Calling 101 Weekly Webinar Make your company's calls more recognizable. Learn how Hiya can drive value for your business. 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Plus you’ll also learn why criminals love to target Canadians. ###### Canada senior benefits scams Some of the most common senior scams in Canada are ones that go after retirement benefits and other government benefits. The key to stealing benefits from seniors is to first obtain their social insurance number (often referred to simply as “SIN”). In Canada, a social insurance number is needed to obtain a job and to receive retirement benefits, tax refunds, and other financial credits from the government. That’s why it’s so valuable to criminals. Phone scammers can use a stolen social insurance number to divert social insurance benefits into their account, or they can use the SIN to enable someone to illegally work in Canada.   The [Government of Canada warns citizens](https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/protection.html) to protect their social insurance number and never reveal it to anyone over the phone unless they have initiated the call. The government says  common tactics of social insurance scams include a call, text or email that: - Claims your SIN is compromised - Offers to replace your SIN - Threatens to lock or cancel your SIN - Requests you take urgent action   The warning tells citizens to be wary of messages that claim to be from the Canadian government. It’s easy to [spoof](https://blog.hiya.com/spoofing-cell-phone-numbers?hsLang=en) a phone number to make it appear to be from an official Canadian agency. (See our [blog post:](https://blog.hiya.com/canada-plagued-by-phone-scams?hsLang=en) Canadians plagued by government impersonation phone scams.) Hiya has seen an increase in reports of social insurance number scams since the beginning of this year, often receiving more than 100 reports of social insurance scams each week. These reports come from Canadian citizens using [Hiya Protect](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect), Hiya's call protection service, through their phone carrier, device manufacturer or the [Hiya mobile app](https://www.hiya.com/products/app). When an unwanted call comes in, users can tap a prompt on their phone to report it as fraud or nuisance, and they can leave a comment describing the call they just received.   Reports of social insurance scams increased in January 2024 and have stayed high ever since. ![Hiya has seen an increase in social insurance phone scams in Canada in 2024.](https://blog.hiya.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Social%20insurance%20scam%20calls%20in%20Canada%20(weekly)@2x.jpg?width=1300&height=852&name=Social%20insurance%20scam%20calls%20in%20Canada%20(weekly)@2x.jpg) *Hiya has seen an increase in social insurance phone scams in Canada in 2024.* ###### Grandparent scams in Canada Grandparent scams have been common in Canada for quite some time (see our [blog post](https://blog.hiya.com/grandparent-scam-in-canada?hsLang=en): [Grandparent scam on the rise in Canada](https://blog.hiya.com/grandparent-scam-in-canada?hsLang=en)), but the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says there has been a [significant increase in grandparent scams since 2021](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2023/02/06/grandparent-scams-fraud-prevention-campaign/). With these scams, fraudsters call  seniors pretending to be a grandchild who is in trouble and in immediate need of money for bail or some other emergency.  On April 18, the Ontario Provincial Police arrested 14 people in Montreal linked to grandparent scams that targeted victims across Canada. In a joint investigation that included 11 Ontario and Quebec police agencies, the group identified 126 victims who lost $739,000 between Jan. 22, 2024 and April 8, 2024. A press release issued by the Ontario Provincial Police said the group of suspects is responsible for more than [$2.2 million in](https://www.opp.ca/news/#/viewnews/6620fbd15d9cd) [losses Canada-wide](https://www.opp.ca/news/#/viewnews/6620fbd15d9cd) since February 2022. The Ontario Provincial Police said the suspects pretended to be officers or lawyers and claimed to have the victim’s grandchild in custody. They would request bail money to secure the grandchild’s release. In most cases, unsuspecting couriers were used to collect the money.  [![An infographic from the Ontario Provincial Police shows the location of victims (red dots) of grandparent scams throughout Canada, in a joint police force crackdown titled Project Sharp. ](https://blog.hiya.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Infographic%20from%20Ontario%20Provincial%20Police%2c%20Project%20Sharp.jpg?width=1189&height=665&name=Infographic%20from%20Ontario%20Provincial%20Police%2c%20Project%20Sharp.jpg)](https://hamiltonpolice.on.ca/news/project-sharp---14-arrested-for-using-emergency-grandparent-scam-across-canada/) *An infographic from the Ontario Provincial Police shows the location of victims (red dots) of grandparent scams throughout Canada, in a joint police force crackdown titled Project Sharp. *   ###### Investment scams (and why criminals love to target Canadians) A recent investigative report by Canada’s public broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada reveals call centers in Eastern Europe that specifically target Canadians. The online article, [*Why Canada is a main target of investment scammers*](https://www.cbc.ca/news/ukraine-call-centre-canada-crypto-scam-1.7127166), includes interviews with both a whistleblower who used to work in one of the scam call centers, and a private investigator working for a firm that specializes in fraud recovery for its clients. In the article, senior investigator Mark Solomons explained why international scammers go after Canadians: “These criminals love Canada. Canadians are friendly. They have a relatively high savings rate and fairly good retirement provision. So there’s a lot of friendly people sitting on pretty large nest eggs in Canada who are a juicy target for these types of scammers.” Solomons added that enforcement actions and extraditions are lacking in Canada, so scammers feel like they can get away with their crimes. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre warns citizens about [eight ongoing investment scams](https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/scams-fraudes/investment-investissement-eng.htm) in Canada, from investments in new cryptocurrency exchanges to buying gems or business franchises. There are even “investment recovery scams” that call previously-scammed victims promising they can recover the money they’ve lost. ###### How to fight back against senior scams in Canada Scammers are constantly changing their tactics, and the only way to fight back is with a solution that adapts to ever-changing tactics. For carriers, there’s [Hiya Protect](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect). It’s a complete call protection solution that enables mobile network carriers to protect their subscribers by blocking fraud calls and labeling spam calls. It uses a proprietary multi-layer approach that analyzes the phone number, call characteristics, the call recipient, and even the calling enterprise’s history across all numbers used. For enterprises, there’s [Hiya Connect](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect). Hiya Connect’s branded caller ID enables businesses to display their company name, logo and reason for the call on the recipient’s mobile phone, so customers can feel safe when they answer. For individuals, there’s the [Hiya mobile app](https://www.hiya.com/products/app). It’s a great solution for individuals who use a phone carrier that doesn’t offer spam protection at the network level.    [![banner-hiya-reg](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/banner-hiya-reg.jpg)](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/number-registration) ### Latest Articles ⚡️ - Hiya awarded 16 G2 Summer 2026 badges for branded caller ID Lena Prickett Jul. 9, 2026 - How Canada is leading the fight to stop bank scams Stephanie Boulanger Jun. 26, 2026 - How to check phone numbers for spam labels Michelle Wallace Jun. 9, 2026 ## Related articles ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/rogers-toronto-event-blog-hero.webp) ## [How Canada is leading the fight to stop bank scams](https://blog.hiya.com/how-canada-is-leading-the-fight-to-stop-bank-scams?hsLang=en) Stephanie Boulanger Jun. 26, 2026 ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Blog_How-to-check-phone-numbers-for-spam-labels_B.webp) ## [How to check phone numbers for spam labels](https://blog.hiya.com/how-to-check-phone-numbers-for-spam-labels?hsLang=en) Michelle Wallace Jun. 9, 2026 ![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Hiya%20x%20DNA-blog@2x.webp) ## [Hiya and DNA Finland launch network-level call protection](https://blog.hiya.com/hiya-and-dna-finland-launch-network-level-call-protection?hsLang=en) Stephanie Boulanger Jun. 2, 2026 [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-new-purple.svg)](https://www.hiya.com/) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/linkedin-1.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/hiyainc) [![](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/facebook-1.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/hiyainc/) ###### Products - Connect - [Number Registration](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/number-registration) - [Branded Call](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/branded-call) - [View Plans](https://www.hiya.com/products/connect/pricing) - Protect - [Spam Analytics](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect/spam-analytics) - [AI Voice Detection](https://www.hiya.com/products/protect/ai-voice-detection) - Apps - [Hiya Spam Blocker](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-spam-blocker) - [Hiya AI Phone](https://www.hiya.com/products/apps/hiya-ai-phone) ###### Solutions - Company size - [Enterprise](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/enterprise) - [Call Centers](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/call-center) - [Small and Medium](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/businesses) - Service providers - [Operators](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/operators) - [OEMs and technology](https://www.hiya.com/solutions/technology-partners) ###### Considering Hiya? - [Why Hiya](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya) - [How it Works](https://www.hiya.com/how-it-works) - [Customer Stories](https://www.hiya.com/case-studies) - [Voice Intelligence Platform](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya/voice-intelligence-platform) - [Trust Center](https://www.hiya.com/why-hiya/trust-center) - [Modern Slavery](https://www.hiya.com/company/modern-slavery) - [About Hiya](https://www.hiya.com/company/about) - [Careers: We're hiring!](https://www.hiya.com/company/careers) - [Contact us](https://www.hiya.com/contact-us) ###### Resources - [Resource Center](https://www.hiya.com/resources) - [Partner Program](https://partners.hiya.com/) - [Get Support](https://hiya.com/support) - [Developer Docs](https://developer.hiya.com/) - [Hiya Blog](https://hiya.com/blog) - [Events](https://www.hiya.com/events) - [Press Kit](https://www.hiya.com/newsroom#press-kit) ![ANAB](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-anab.svg) ![ISO 27001](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-iso27017.png) ![AICPA](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-aicpa.svg) ![IAF](https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/logo-iaf.svg) [Privacy Policy](https://www.hiya.com/legal/privacy) [Terms of Service](https://www.hiya.com/legal/terms-of-service) [App Data Privacy Policy](https://www.hiya.com/legal/app-data-protection-and-privacy-policy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Hiya Team", "url" : "https://blog.hiya.com/author/hiya-team" }, "dateModified" : "2024-05-07T20:00:39.166Z", "datePublished" : "2024-05-07T20:00:39.000Z", "headline" : "Senior scams on the rise in Canada", "image" : [ "https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/Canada-Senior-Benefits-Scam-B.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.hiya.com/senior-scams-on-the-rise-in-canada", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.hiya.com/hubfs/hiya-logo-3.svg" }, "name" : "Hiya Inc." } } ```