Detecting phone and text message scams

Think you may be the victim of a scam involving iA Financial Group? Contact us directly at 418-684-5000 or toll-free at 1-800-463-6236.

When you receive a telemarketing call or text message, you may wonder how the person you’re talking to got your contact information. Even though it’s often impossible to track down the source of the leak, you can still take certain precautions to protect yourself against direct fraud attempts.

There’s a good reason why 76% of Canadians say identity theft is their main concern when it comes to cybersecurity¹: criminals have more than one trick up their sleeve, and they use all sorts of techniques to scam you with fraudulent phone calls.

Calls

Be vigilant, as the number and name displayed on your caller ID may be fake.

As a client of iA Financial Group, remember that when an advisor calls you directly, they will never ask you to:

• provide personal and confidential information like your social insurance number (SIN)
• answer security questions
• click on a link to update your personal information
• give your codes, information or passwords to authenticate yourself
• share the one-time code you may have received during the call

Any request from the caller regarding any of these points should raise your suspicions. If you have any doubts, it’s best to hang up and call iA Financial Group’s official number.

Text messages

Please note that iA Financial Group, like all financial institutions, will never contact you by text message; any text message asking you to update your information, warning you about fraud on your bank account, or asking you to provide personal information is definitely a scam! Do not reply, click on any links, send any payments or reveal your personal information.

Good practices at all times

Regardless of who is calling, ignore calls or texts from numbers you don’t recognize, let them go to voicemail and decide whether or not to call back. If the number is not hidden on your caller ID, look it up in the Yellow Pages—people often report phone numbers that appear to be used for scams.

If you decide to pick up, ask the caller to identify themselves and see if the caller is reluctant to do so. If you can’t identify the caller with certainty, hang up. Also ask for the caller’s business phone number and check it against the contact information on the organization’s official Contact Us webpage.

Don’t answer yes/no questions. As voice recognition becomes more sophisticated and in vogue, criminals may record your voice to steal your identity. Instead, answer in full sentences (which are unusable in this way), don’t provide your name and don’t reveal any information about yourself.

In summary:

• Do not answer
• Do not click on any links
• Do not send any payments
• Do not disclose your personal information
• Verify the identity of the person contacting you by other means, such as hanging up and calling your institution directly

If you witness a fraud attempt, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

See how to avoid scams online with our tips for safe web surfing and protect yourself from unsolicited emails with our tips to avoid email fraud.

¹ Government of Canada, Get Cyber Safe, 2025