Just been scammed?
Unauthorized charges on my card or account
Charges you did not make are stressful, but the law limits your liability and there is a clear process to dispute them. Report it as soon as you notice — the steps below are what the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada tells consumers to do.
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.
Do these right away
- 1Change your passwords and PINs immediately.
- 2Notify your financial institution immediately.
- 3Report every transaction you did not make.
- 4Check your credit report for any credit you did not apply for.
- 5Keep monitoring your accounts and credit after you have reported it.
Your liability on a credit card
For a bank-issued credit card, your maximum liability, by law, can’t be more than $50.00 unless you demonstrated gross negligence. Card networks (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Interac) publish their own zero-liability policies on top of that — but those are issuer policies, not the law, so confirm the terms with your issuer.
If you paid a scammer yourself
A charge you authorized but were tricked into is different from a transaction you never made. You can ask your card issuer to dispute the charge — but the rules and time limits vary by card network, so ask your issuer directly. If they refuse and you disagree, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada explains the complaint path, and you can escalate a bank complaint through the steps on our bank-won't-refund page.
Common questions
How much am I on the hook for on a credit card?
For a bank-issued credit card, your maximum liability, by law, can’t be more than $50.00 unless you demonstrated gross negligence. Many card networks add their own zero-liability policies on top of that — but those are issuer policies, not the law.
How long do I have to dispute a transaction?
On a deposit account, you usually have 30 days after the date of your statement to dispute a transaction — but this varies by institution, so check your account agreement. Report anything you did not authorize as soon as you spot it.
What about my debit card?
Debit is handled under the Canadian Code of Practice for Consumer Debit Card Services rather than a single dollar cap. In general you are not responsible for losses beyond your control, but you may be liable if you shared your PIN or reported a lost or stolen card late. Check with your institution for your specific situation.
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.