Just been scammed?
I sent money by e-Transfer to a scammer
Move quickly. An Interac e-Transfer can be hard to reverse once it is sent — but your financial institution is the one body that may be able to do something, and the sooner it knows, the better your chances. Recovery is never certain; here is the order to work in.
Never send “recovery money”
After a scam, fraudsters often come back — posing as police, a lawyer, a government agent, or a “recovery agency” — and offer to recover your losses for an upfront fee. That is a second scam. No legitimate agency, and no police service, charges an upfront fee to recover stolen money. If someone contacts you promising to get funds returned for a payment, it is fraud.
What to do, in order
- 1Contact your bank or financial institution immediately. This is the step where speed matters most — ask what, if anything, can still be done with the transfer.
- 2Inform the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or your local police. Keep the police file number if you report to them.
- 3Keep every record: the e-Transfer confirmation, the request or message that led to it, and any name, email, or phone number the scammer used.
The honest part
Interac’s public guidance does not say a sent e-Transfer can be recovered or cancelled. No one can promise the funds will be returned. What helps is speed and your bank — report it now, then report to the CAFC at 1-888-495-8501 so it is on record.
For next time: Autodeposit
Registering for Interac Autodeposit means incoming transfers land directly in your account — there is no security question for a fraudster to intercept. It is a prevention step, not a fix for a transfer already sent.
Common questions
Can I cancel or reverse an e-Transfer I already sent?
Interac’s own guidance makes no promise that a sent e-Transfer can be recovered or cancelled — especially once it has been deposited. Whether anything can be done depends on your financial institution and how quickly you report it, which is why contacting your bank immediately is the first step.
What do I do first?
Contact your bank or financial institution immediately, and inform the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or your local police. Bring every record you have — the transfer confirmation, the messages, and any details about who you sent it to.
How do I stop this from happening again?
Register for Autodeposit so incoming transfers go straight to your account without a security question that can be intercepted, and never send an e-Transfer to someone you have not verified independently.
Official sources
Where to go from here
General information only, not legal advice and not a recovery service. Guidepost cannot recover funds. Full disclaimer. Last updated: July 2026.