Edmonton Journal

Scammers scare immigrants to grab cash

- ASHLEY CSANADY

TORONTO — Fatima Ahmed felt “genuinely threatened” when a man called her family’s Mississaug­a, Ont., home Tuesday afternoon and claimed they could all be deported if they didn’t fill out his forms from Citizenshi­p and Immigratio­n Canada (CIC).

He identified himself as Richard Brown and first asked for her mother, who was at work at an electronic­s company. When he tried to hang up, Ahmed pressed him for more informatio­n.

“He said, well I’m from Citizenshi­p and Immigratio­n Canada, and we’re calling about your parents registerin­g because they’re not born citizens,” Ahmed said Thursday.

In retrospect, she said that should have been her first red flag since she was also born in Pakistan. But the 28-year-old wanted to know more. Her family members have been in Canada since 2000 and became citizens in 2003. She went to high school here, then university.

Ahmed said she asked him what law he was talking about. Her mind turned to the new rules that took effect at the end of May, which would allow the government to revoke the citizenshi­p of Canadians with dual citizenshi­p who are convicted of espionage, treason, or terrorism. Recent media coverage has suggested it could be applied “arbitraril­y” and lead to deportatio­ns.

“That’s when he started with the threats: ‘You’re not born citizens and if somebody doesn’t fill out the forms then you can get deported,’ and stuff like that.”

The 28-year-old said she was initially shaken, and a bit confused. It wasn’t until she punched the phone number into Google that she realized it was a scam, and one that’s using the confusion over Bill C-24, the Strengthen­ing Canadian Citizenshi­p Act, to target new Canadians.

The caller didn’t demand any cash from Ahmed, but such scams have pried money orders and prepaid credits cards from other unwitting and fearful Canucks.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre of the RCMP has received hundreds of complaints about fake calls from both agencies.

The ministry offers tips to avoiding fraud and details how to report it on its website.

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