📚 Common Scams Targeting International Students in Canada and How to Avoid Them | 加拿大留学生常见诈骗类型与防范指南
International students in Canada face unique challenges when settling into a new country. Unfortunately, scammers actively prey on their unfamiliarity with local laws, language barriers, and the stress of managing finances from afar. This guide details the most prevalent scams targeting students and provides clear steps to protect yourself and your money.
国际学生在适应加拿大新环境时面临着独特的挑战。不幸的是，骗子们会利用学生对当地法律不熟悉、语言障碍以及远程管理财务的压力来实施诈骗。本指南详细介绍了针对留学生的最常见骗局，并提供了保护自己与钱财的清晰步骤。
1. Impersonation Scams (CRA/Government) | 冒充政府官员诈骗（加拿大税务局/政府）
Scammers call pretending to be from the Canada Revenue Agency, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or local police. They use aggressive, threatening language, claiming you owe back taxes or that your immigration status is in jeopardy. They demand immediate payment through untraceable methods like gift cards (iTunes, Google Play), wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. Often, they spoof official phone numbers and may even have some of your personal details scraped from social media to sound convincing. Victims are told to stay on the line and not contact anyone else, heightening the sense of isolation.
骗子会打电话冒充加拿大税务局（CRA）、移民、难民和公民部（IRCC）或当地警察。他们使用攻击性、威胁性的语言，声称你欠税或移民身份有问题，并要求通过礼品卡、电汇或加密货币等无法追踪的方式立即付款。他们常常会伪装官方电话号码，甚至可能拥有从社交媒体搜集到的部分个人信息，令说辞更具迷惑性。受害者被要求保持通话，不得联系他人，从而加剧孤立感。
To protect yourself, remember that genuine government agencies will never threaten you with immediate arrest, demand payment via gift cards or Bitcoin, or ask for your Social Insurance Number (SIN) over the phone. Hang up without engaging. If in doubt, look up the official agency number from their verified website and call back to confirm. Never feel pressured to act under a threat. Report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
为了保护自己，请记住：真正的政府机构绝不会威胁立即逮捕你，绝不会要求用礼品卡或比特币付款，也绝不会在电话上索要你的社会保险号（SIN）。不要纠缠，直接挂断。如有疑问，可从官方网站查找该机构的官方号码并回拨核实。绝不要因威胁而感到必须立即行动。向加拿大反欺诈中心举报此类事件。
2. Fake Job Offers | 虚假工作机会
Most international students look for part-time work or post-graduation employment. Scammers post appealing job ads on legitimate platforms or reach out via social media, offering high wages for simple tasks like data entry or mystery shopping. After a quick fake interview, the ’employer’ asks you to pay upfront for training manuals, credit checks, or equipment. Another variation involves sending you a fraudulent cheque, asking you to deposit it and wire back a portion—the cheque will bounce days later, leaving you liable for the full amount and the transferred money.
大多数留学生会寻找兼职或毕业后的工作。骗子在正规平台上发布诱人的招聘广告，或通过社交媒体联系你，提供数据录入或神秘购物等简单任务的高额薪酬。经过简短的虚假面试后，“雇主”会要求你预先支付培训材料、信用调查或设备费用。另一种变体是寄给你一张假支票，让你存入后汇回一部分差额——几天后支票会被退票，你将承担全部金额及已汇出的款项。
Legitimate employers in Canada never require payment from job applicants. Research any company thoroughly before sharing personal details: check for a genuine website, physical address, and reviews across multiple sources. Never provide your SIN or banking information until you have a formal, written job offer and have verified the employer’s background. If a job promises high returns for minimal effort, it is almost certainly a scam.
加拿大的正规雇主绝不会要求求职者支付任何费用。在提供个人信息之前，务必彻底调查公司：核实其真实网站、实体地址以及多个来源的评论。在获得正式书面录用通知并核实雇主背景之前，绝不要提供社会保险号或银行信息。如果一份工作承诺只需极少努力便能获得高额回报，那几乎可以肯定是骗局。
3. Rental Scams | 租房诈骗
Finding accommodation from overseas or even locally can be daunting. Scammers copy photos and descriptions from genuine listings and advertise apartments at surprisingly low rents. They pose as landlords who are currently ‘out of town’ and pressure you to send a damage deposit or first month’s rent via wire transfer to secure the unit. Once the money is received, all communication stops, and you discover the property either doesn’t exist or belongs to someone else.
无论是在海外还是当地，找房都可能令人头疼。骗子从真实房源中复制照片和描述，以出奇低的价格发布广告。他们假扮“目前不在本地”的房东，催促你通过电汇支付损毁押金或首月租金以锁定房源。一旦收到钱，所有联系便中断，而你会发现该房源要么不存在，要么属于他人。
Never send money without physically visiting the property or conducting a live video walkthrough with the purported landlord. Use established rental platforms that offer some level of verification. Ask for a formal tenancy agreement and insist on paying through secure, traceable methods. Be extremely cautious of any landlord who pressures you to make an immediate decision, citing other interested tenants. If a deal seems too good to be true, it likely is.
未经实地查看或通过视频直播与所谓房东一起看房之前，绝不要汇款。使用具有一定验证机制的知名租房平台。要求提供正式的租赁协议，并坚持使用安全、可追踪的方式支付。对于任何以“其他租客有意”为由催促你立即决定的房东，需格外警惕。如果某个房源条件好得离谱，就很可能是骗局。
4. Tuition and Scholarship Fraud | 学费与奖学金诈骗
Scammers exploit students’ financial concerns by offering to pay tuition at a ‘discounted rate’. They use stolen credit cards to make the payment, which initially appears on your school account, but the transaction is later reversed when the fraud is detected. You are then left with an unpaid balance, and the scammer has your personal information or the fee you paid them. Other fraudsters pose as scholarship foundations, informing you that you’ve won an award but must first pay a processing or administrative fee.
骗子利用学生对财务的担忧，声称可以“折扣价”代缴学费。他们使用盗来的信用卡付款，这笔钱最初会显示在你的学校账户上，但一旦欺诈被发现，交易就会被撤销。你将面临未付余额，而骗子已掌握了你的个人信息或你支付给他们的“服务费”。其他骗子则冒充奖学金基金会，通知你赢得了奖励，但须先缴纳一笔手续费。
Always pay tuition directly to your educational institution via its official payment portal—never through an intermediary promising a discount. Regarding scholarships, genuine awards never require an upfront fee. Verify any scholarship invitation by contacting your school’s financial aid office. Protect your student portal login credentials as you would your banking password, and regularly review your account statements.
永远通过学校的官方支付门户直接缴纳学费——绝不要通过承诺折扣的中介付款。在奖学金方面，真正的奖励绝不会要求预付任何费用。任何奖学金邀请，均可通过联系你学校的资助办公室来核实。像保护银行密码一样保护好你的学生门户登录凭证，并定期查看账户账单。
5. Currency Exchange Scams | 换汇诈骗
To avoid bank fees or secure better rates, students sometimes turn to peer-to-peer currency exchange in chat groups or social media communities. Scammers pose as fellow students and offer a highly favorable exchange rate. They demand you send them yuan or another currency first, promising to transfer Canadian dollars immediately. Once you send the money, they vanish, block you, and leave no trace. Some even conduct in-person exchanges using counterfeit cash.
为节省银行手续费或获取更优汇率，学生有时会在聊天群组或社交媒体社群中进行个人对个人的货币兑换。骗子假扮成同学，提供极其优惠的汇率。他们要求你先汇出人民币或其他货币，并承诺立即转出加元。一旦你汇出款项，他们便消失得无影无踪，甚至将你拉黑。有些人甚至在当面交易中使用假钞。
The safest approach is to use regulated banks or licensed money services businesses that are registered with FINTRAC in Canada. Never trust someone you’ve only met online with large sums. If you choose to exchange in person, meet at your bank where notes can be verified. Be realistic about exchange rates: any offer significantly better than the market rate is a red flag.
最安全的做法是使用受监管的银行或在加拿大FINTRAC注册的持牌汇款服务机构。切勿将大笔资金托付给仅在网上结识的人。如选择当面换汇，请约在银行见面，以便当场验证钞票真伪。对汇率要有现实认识：任何显著优于市场汇率的报价都是危险信号。
6. Phishing and Identity Theft | 网络钓鱼与身份盗窃
Phishing emails and text messages mimic official correspondence from banks, phone companies, or your university. The message urges you to click a link and verify your account to prevent it from being suspended. The linked website looks identical to the real one but is designed solely to capture your login credentials, Social Insurance Number, or credit card details. With this stolen identity, criminals can open fraudulent accounts, apply for loans, or access your financial accounts.
网络钓鱼邮件和短信会模仿银行、电话公司或你所在大学的官方函件。消息催促你点击链接并验证账户以避免被冻结。链接网站与真实网站如出一辙，但其唯一目的就是窃取你的登录凭证、社会保险号或信用卡信息。利用这些被盗身份，犯罪分子可以开设虚假账户、申请贷款或入侵你的金融账户。
Never click on links in unsolicited messages. Instead, open your browser and manually type the company’s known web address. Check for signs of fraud such as generic greetings, spelling mistakes, and a sense of urgency. Enable multi-factor authentication on all important accounts—especially banking and email—so that a stolen password alone is insufficient. Routinely check your credit report with Equifax or TransUnion for any unfamiliar activity.
切勿点击未经请求的消息中的链接。相反，应打开浏览器手动输入该公司的已知网址。检查是否存在欺诈迹象，如通用称呼、拼写错误和紧迫感。为所有重要账户（尤其是银行和邮箱）启用多因素认证，这样单凭被盗密码无法轻易得手。定期通过Equifax或TransUnion查看信用报告，注意任何陌生活动。
7. SIM Swap and SMS Phishing | SIM卡调换与短信钓鱼
In a SIM swap attack, a scammer gathers enough personal information about you (often from phishing or social media) to call your mobile carrier and impersonate you. They claim your SIM card was lost and request that your number be transferred to a new SIM in their possession. A simpler variant involves smishing: you receive a text that appears to be from your carrier asking for a verification code to ‘fix a network issue’. If you share it, the scammer takes over your phone number and intercepts any two-factor authentication codes sent via SMS, potentially gaining access to your bank and digital wallets.
在SIM卡调换攻击中，骗子收集足够的个人信息（通常通过网络钓鱼或社交媒体），然后致电你的移动运营商并冒充你。他们声称SIM卡丢失，要求将你的号码转移到他们持有的新SIM卡上。另一种更简单的变体是短信钓鱼：你收到一条看似来自运营商的短信，要求提供验证码以“解决网络问题”。一旦你提供，骗子便接管了你的手机号，并可拦截所有通过短信发送的双因素认证码，极有可能进入你的银行账户和数字钱包。
Treat any SMS verification code like the key to your digital identity. Never share it with anyone over the phone, text, or email, regardless of how convincing the story sounds. Contact your mobile provider to set up a PIN or passcode on your account to block unauthorized SIM swaps. If your phone suddenly displays ‘No Service’ for no reason, contact your carrier immediately—this could indicate your number has been ported without your consent.
请将任何短信验证码视为你数字身份的钥匙。无论故事听起来多么逼真，绝不要通过电话、短信或电子邮件与任何人分享。联系你的移动运营商，为你的账户设置PIN码或密码，以阻止未经授权的SIM卡调换。如果你的手机无缘无故突然显示“无服务”，请立即联系运营商——这可能表明你的号码在未经你同意的情况下被转出。
8. Social Media Impersonation (‘Hi Mum’ Scam) | 社交媒体冒充亲友诈骗（“妈妈”诈骗）
This emotionally manipulative scam often begins with the fraudster taking over or cloning a social media profile. They then message the victim’s parents or friends via WhatsApp, WeChat, or SMS from an unfamiliar number, claiming their phone broke and they need urgent financial help—for example, to pay a bill or replace a laptop. The scammer mimics the student’s writing style and may know specific personal details to make the request seem authentic. Concerned relatives, thinking they are helping their child, quickly transfer money.
这种情感操控型骗局通常始于骗子盗用或克隆社交媒体个人资料。随后，他们通过WhatsApp、微信或短信用陌生号码联络受害者的父母或朋友，声称手机坏了，急需经济帮助——例如支付账单或更换笔记本电脑。骗子模仿学生的书写风格，并可能知晓具体的私人细节，使请求显得真实。担忧的亲友以为是在帮助自己的孩子，便迅速汇款。
Establish a family code word—a unique phrase you can share with your parents that only you would know. If you ever receive an urgent request for money from a family member or friend supposedly in distress, verify by calling them on their known number or via a separate app. Do not rely on voice messages, which can be generated by AI, and always question any sudden change in contact information.
与家人设定一个暗号——一个只有你们知道的独特短语。如果你收到自称身处困境的家人或朋友的紧急汇款请求，请务必通过已知号码或另一款应用致电予以核实。不要轻信语音信息，因为它们可能由人工智能生成；对于任何联系方式突然变更的情况，都要保持质疑。
9. Virtual Kidnapping | 虚拟绑架
Virtual kidnapping is a high-pressure extortion scam where the caller claims to have kidnapped a family member. Through accented shouting in the background, the scammer creates a terrifying audio scenario. They often know the target’s name and details scavenged from public social media profiles, forcing the victim to stay on the line and pay a ransom immediately via money transfer. In reality, no actual kidnapping has taken place; the family member is safe and unaware but may have been distracted or unreachable due to the scammer’s tactics, such as flooding them with simultaneous calls.
虚拟绑架是一种高压勒索骗局，来电者声称绑架了你的家人。骗子通过背景中带口音的喊叫营造出恐怖的音频场景。他们往往知道目标的名字以及从公开社交媒体资料中搜集的细节，迫使受害者保持通话并通过汇款立即支付赎金。实际上并无真实的绑架发生；你的家人平安无恙，但可能因骗子的手段（如同时拨入大量电话）而分心或暂时联系不上。
If you receive such a call, try to stay calm and signal someone nearby to contact the allegedly kidnapped person through another channel. Use a different phone to call or text them yourself. Never pay any ransom. These scammers rely entirely on shock and fear to bypass rational thinking. As soon as you can, hang up and call 911. Keep your social media accounts private so that criminals cannot harvest personal information to build convincing scripts.
如果你接到此类电话，尽量保持冷静，并示意身边人通过其他渠道联络据说被绑架的人。你自己也要用另一个手机通话或发短信。绝不要支付任何赎金。这类骗子完全依赖冲击和恐惧来绕过理性思考。一旦可能，立即挂断并拨打911。将社交媒体账户设置为私密，防止犯罪分子收集个人信息以编造逼真的剧本。
10. Investment and Cryptocurrency Scams | 投资与加密货币诈骗
Scammers target students’ desire to grow their savings through seemingly sophisticated investment platforms. They may invite you to join a trading group via WhatsApp or Telegram, showing off screenshots of spectacular returns. These platforms often focus on cryptocurrency or forex trading. Initially, they may allow small withdrawals to build trust, but once you invest a larger sum, the platform freezes your account and demands fees to release the funds—or simply disappears. Some scams are promoted by paid ‘influencers’ on social media.
骗子瞄准学生想通过看似高端的投资平台让存款增值的心理。他们可能通过WhatsApp或Telegram邀请你加入交易群，展示收益惊人的截图。这类平台通常专注于加密货币或外汇交易。起初，他们可能允许小额提现以建立信任，但一旦你投入大笔资金，平台便会冻结你的账户，并要求你支付费用才能释放资金——或者干脆人间蒸发。有些骗局由社交媒体上的付费“网红”推广。
Educate yourself about basic investment principles; high returns always correlate with high risk. Check whether the platform is registered with securities regulators such as the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA). Never invest based on tips from unverified online strangers. Use your own bank’s investment services or well-known, regulated platforms. If you cannot clearly explain where the returns are coming from, stay away and keep your savings in a high-interest savings account or a guaranteed investment certificate until you have gained more experience.
让自己了解基本的投资原则：高回报始终与高风险相伴。核查平台是否在加拿大证券管理机构（CSA）等证券监管机构注册。切勿根据未经核实的网络陌生人的推荐进行投资。使用自己有银行的理财服务或知名、受监管的平台。如果你不能清楚解释回报的来源，请远离此投资，并在积累更多经验之前，将储蓄存入高息储蓄账户或保本投资证。
Published by TutorHao | Scam Prevention Guide | aleveler.com
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