The Competition Bureau is warning Canadians to stay alert as fraudsters use increasingly realistic artificial intelligence to impersonate government officials and politicians. These high-tech scams are being used to drain bank accounts, hijack your personal data, and spread misinformation across the country.
The most common tactic involves deepfakes, which are AI-generated videos or audio clips that make public figures like the Prime Minister appear to be promoting specific products, investments, or giveaways. These fakes often urge people to act immediately, but a closer look can reveal red flags like weird body movements, people who do not blink, or voices that sound robotic and flat. If Mark Carney is asking you to send Bitcoin to a crypto wallet, you may want to think twice.
Scammers are also using AI to build fake government websites that look nearly identical to the real thing, often using official symbols and the Canadian flag to trick visitors. These sites frequently use slightly altered web addresses or unusual endings like .net or .org instead of the official .gc.ca domain. To stay safe, the feds recommend typing official addresses directly into your browser rather than clicking links in unexpected emails or texts.
Fraudsters have also started using voice cloning tech for phone calls and “smishing” (text message) scams. These messages might claim you are eligible for a refund or a new government program to lure you into sending money or sharing your social insurance number. If a message from a politician or department feels urgent or too good to be true, it is best to stop and verify the claim through an official government channel.
Of course, these scammers just spam thousands and thousands of people and just hope a few bite on their scams. Usually, seniors and those that are not tech-savvy will fall victim, but with AI, that’s no longer the case.
Last fall, the feds launched a national anti-fraud strategy to crack down on scams and financial crimes, which will force banks to make it harder for customer accounts to get compromised. In 2024 alone, Canadians lost $643 million to scams, which is triple from 2020. And that’s from scams that were reported, with many not even on radars as victims don’t always come forward, due to embarrassment.
The Competition Bureau you should report any fraud incidents to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or the Competition Bureau. To keep yourself safe, never answer any phone calls or reply to text messages, or click on links within emails.
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