Can you trust your call display?

Your cell phone rings. A number comes up from an organization you recognize – maybe your bank, your phone provider, a charity you donate to. Of course, you answer because you recognize the caller.

And that’s what the scammer on the other end of the line is hoping for. Call spoofing – altering caller ID to resemble a trusted name and number – is a common “door opening” tactic used by fraudsters to hook you into their scams.

In a March 2026 RBC poll, 81% of Canadians agreed that they feel like there is a new scam to watch out for every week. And 40% of respondents admitted to speaking to someone on the phone before realizing it was a scam. It’s important to know what to look for, so you can safely avoid the scammers when they call.

Scams that start with call spoofing

According to a February 2026 study conducted by Preszler Law, the average Canadian receives approximately five spam or scam calls or texts every day (totalling about 1,800 per year!).

In 2025, The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre received 112,000 fraud reports, totalling $704 million in losses. In its ranking of the top 10 frauds based on frequency of reporting, fraud investigator scams ranked eighth, with 2,167 reports, 1,137 victims and $28.3 million in losses.

In this type of scam, victims receive an automated phone call from what appears to be a reputable organization – financial institution, law enforcement, Amazon, credit reporting agency or government organization. When the person answers, the scammer tells them that they are investigating a fraud attempt on their account.

The fraudster then requests access to that person’s computer or device to continue the investigation. They are then shown apparent fraudulent transactions in their online bank account. And then they are typically asked to click a link to proceed with the investigation, which gives the scammer access to their account.

Ninety-year-old Ray Anholt’s six-month scam ordeal started with a spoofed call apparently from CIBC’s fraud department. The scammer requested help with a national money laundering investigation. Large bank withdrawals, money couriers and new accounts at a different bank ensued. The scammers pressured Anholt to keep quiet so as not to jeopardize the “investigation.” By the time his daughter figured out what was going on, he had lost his entire $1.7 million life savings.

The tuition scam

In 2026, there have been reports from across the country about a new scam involving credit cards and universities. The tuition scam typically targets international students, promising discounted tuition in exchange for upfront payment. The scammers collect the money, keep it and pay the school using stolen debit and credit cards.

Mira Burgess received a spoofed call from what looked to be TD’s fraud department. The scammer told her that someone had made fraudulent charges on her credit card and asked her to open her TD app to reverse them. But when she went into the app, she was actually approving the charges.

Burgess ended up with 25 fraudulent credit and debit card transactions totalling $37,000 paid to a private, accredited university in downtown Vancouver.

The same thing happened to Jonathan Etkin in BC. He received a call, apparently from RBC’s fraud department. As instructed, he provided texted verification codes to the “rep” on the phone because he believed he was helping to stop fraud. He ended up with $22,000 worth of charges on his credit card to the University of Calgary and Ontario’s Fleming College.

How to protect yourself

It’s hard feeling suspicious every time the phone rings. With a few simple strategies, you can stop the scammers before they have a chance to try to hook you in.

• Hang up and call back: if you get a call from someone claiming to be from your bank, and it doesn’t feel right, hang up. Check the back of your debit or credit card and call that number back to verify what that person was telling you.
• Don’t share codes sent to your phone: if you’re having a conversation with someone regarding any financial or personal information, and they ask you to share verification codes or account access, decline immediately and hang up. They trick you with urgency and secrecy to try to get access to your money or identity.
• Know how organizations take payments: most reputable organizations (law enforcement, Canada Revenue Agency) do not accept payment in cash, crypto, e-transfers or gift cards. Get familiar with the payment policies of the organizations you deal with, so you can spot the scammers’ requests right away.
• Talk openly: 92% of respondents in a TD survey indicated that identifying scams can be easier when all family members are involved in discussions around prevention. Talk about call spoofing and your family’s experiences with it. Share real stories of how scammers use it as part of their schemes.
• Use Call Control features: to protect yourself against call spoofing and reduce unwanted robocalls, consider using call screening tools. TELUS offers specialized call control features for both home phones and mobile devices. Learn more here: Call control for mobile devices explained and Home phone Call control explained.

Phone scams work because they start from a place of trust. You see a number you know from an organization you have a relationship with. Call spoofing can open the door to all kinds of scams, but staying safe comes down to a few simple strategies. Know how the organizations you deal with really operate and trust your gut when a call contradicts that. By combining awareness, education and intuition, you’ll be better prepared to stop a scam before it starts.