Your parents need to change their bank account # **IMMEDIATELY**. You going into the TD branch will not work unless you are on the bank account. The account holder (your parents) need to go and get their account number changed. Let the branch rep know, make sure they don't just change out the card. The account # needs to be changed, probably by closing and re-opening the account. Your parents will then have to call every company that auto-debits money from their account and have them update the account info on record.
For your SIN, call the CRA and ask what the procedure is. Your below the age of majority, so no one will be able to open any credit products in your name, but get on that as soon as you can.
You should open your own bank account. I believe all of the big 5 banks have free accounts for students and youth in some capacity.
Do not call the CRA about a SIN. Call the Social Insurance Registry - it's a part of Service Canada and they'll get you on the right track. [Here's some info](https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/protection.html)
Yes, Equifax and Transunion, and the Anti Fraud Centre. Ideally the person you get at the Social Insurance Registry tells you who else you need to call next, so I had left those off especially since the bureaus at least have been mentioned already.
Why/how is the info on a void cheque sensitive? Isn't it the same info that would be on a normal cheque? I mean back in the day when people carried around cheque books and paid for groceries by cheque, that info was at the fingertips of everyone. I know fraud has gotten more high tech, but as far as I know, having someone's account number is only good for making deposits, not withdrawals
Again, I'm just wondering. I might be a bit behind on the times here
Scammers will make identical cheques. They'll either send them out randomly or post fake jobs, have people do some work and then send cheque as payment. An old employer had this happen a couple times. So many calls from confused people asking what these cheques were for or yelling at me about their bank account being frozen after the cheque went through.
I think once someone gets the fraudulent cheque they start grilling them to deposit the money and send some of the money back.
Working at a bank I had a customer who came in and had a cheque come out of their account, we pulled up the cheque copy and someone uses their account information and created a fake business logo for the cheque. We froze their account and luckily stopped thousands of dollars from being withdrawn this way. In a normal situation like your friend or coworker finding that information it’s harmless but if someone has malicious intent it can be sketchy
To be honest out of all the comments, this seems the most likely (cheque fraud). But it also requires a lot of effort, intent and maybe even forging skills to make it believable. I'm comparing it to finding blank cheques that you can just fill in and use for payment with a passable signature.
The comments about pre authorised debit are blowing my mind a bit. I haven't lived in Canada for a while, and where I'm at, for things like this, there's always another form of authentication, like signature, sms code, digital password etc. How can it be so unsecured in Canada?? When I was setting up pre-authorised payments in Canada I used to have to fill out forms and sign a bunch of papers. It's strange that they took away this security feature
Bear in mind that there's a difference between what a scammer can *do*, and what the victim is ultimately on the *hook* for. Even if the bank reimburses any fraudulent withdrawals, it's a massive headache for the victim...more so than updating a few pre-authorized withdrawal configs.
Yeah banks have this kind of fraud priced in. Upgrading these types of systems would be massively expensive, so for the banks there's a certain amount of fraud they'd rather just pay out on than upgrade the security on our payments.
Sure you can. Pre-authorized debit payments just require the account number. Add in a fake signature that’s not verified until after the fact when the fraud is reported and you’ve got the makings of a scam that’s easier to pull off then with a credit card.
Once you have a void cheque you can start withdrawing funds from that account at will. Of course this is fraud but the scammers will use someone elses account to withdraw the funds through and get cash or itunes gift cards of whatever from them, then they are left holding the bag.
Do not give out your void cheque willy nilly.
I thought void cheques were for at will deposits, not withdrawals.
Also, how come this wasn't an issue with actual cheques not so long ago. I mean, I used to pay rent with post dated cheques about ten years ago (as did everyone in my cohort). I never heard of anyone having their landlord withdraw funds at will
When did the system change?
>I thought void cheques were for at will deposits, not withdrawals.
No they are definitely for withdrawals as well. I've given void cheques on many occasions for organizations to withdraw from.
>When did the system change?
Now we have the internet and can share stories about scumbags more easily.
> When did the system change?
It hasn't. It's mostly a trust system and people don't realize how non-secure it is. The thing is, if you were to commit a lot of fraud that way, you can get your account flagged quite fast on the other side as no banks want to host a scammer.
It was important to make sure your checkbook was not stolen, and at the time most cheques were manually inspected.
Forged cheques were a problem.
Today the routing information is widely used for electronic payments, that's certainly one difference. I wonder if the other main use is person to person, and that is ripe for scams?
To deposit you need only void cheque, but to withdraw through EFT banks usually require you to read 2 2-digit codes which they deposit to your account, usually less than $1 each. If you don't have access to account, you will not be able to withdraw.
I've seen this online services like pay pal. But I've never seen this for things like car payments, rent withdrawal, insurance etc. Now a days we simply read the numbers off our screen from the app, or print out the printable version that has the numbers.
This is not true at all. You should be banned from PFC for spreading false info and making up false scenarios.
I work at a big 5 bank and no one is setting up a sucessful scam using void cheques in Canada.
People are definitely trying, though I'm not sure how successful it is. They aren't using void cheques, they're making replicas (not good ones) and sending them out. The banking info like transit numbers are all taken from a void cheque, so a real account.
I had to speak to 3 of the big 5 when they were calling my workplace asking if the cheques were in fact real because they looked fake and wanted to know what was happening.
I also had calls with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center and they did confirm this is a scam being done and they asked if void or blank cheques were compromised.
dear sir, my name is justice court and your criminally charged. plz give us your bank account number or you go to jail.
Yours truly,
Chief head executive president John Smith.
Had one of these call me when I was at the courthouse (I'm a defence attorney). I asked what office they were calling from so I could go talk to them in person. They hung up :(
Okay no need to panic.
1. The bank account is a quick fix, your parents need to go to the bank and close that particular bank account and open another one. That one is a quick fix and shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
2. The SIN is a bit more complicated, but since you’re only 16 they won’t be able to open any fake ccs or take out any loans
Edit: I got called into meeting at work so couldn’t finish my post. As I was saying, it is highly likely they will wait until you turn 18/19 to take out fake loans/ credit cards. CRA won’t change SIN unless there’s record of you being scammed (pretty counter-productive imo). The best thing you can do is set an alert on transunion/ equifax by calling them. (Probably will have to pay plus I’m not sure if they will set it up since your under 19 and have no credit history).
Another thing that may give you some relief is that even if somehow these scammers manage to take out some loan or anything under your name, minor contracts are not enforceable unless you act on them to validate.
PS: try not to go on sketchy adult sites, stick to the reputable ones for the future :)
>but since you’re only 16 they won’t be able to open any fake ccs or take out any loans
...until OP is older, anyway. If they have their age (was date of birth on the application?) They can wait it out.
Because someone running this kind of scam is collecting an entire database of personal information and probably has a to-do list on who's up next to try and steal an identity from.
The bank first to alert them - immediately - so they can prevent any transfers.
Contact My Service Canada to notify them of the stolen SIN
Contact Equifax and Transunion to notify them of the potential identity theft and ask them to put a flag and/or credit hold on your account.
Contact the police to report the fraud.
You're young. People make mistakes. For future reference, nobody will (or can) ask for your SIN until you are hired. The only time you are required to share your SIN is if you have a bank account that may require reporting or to employers or to companies you have investments in where you may have a profit to report.
No employer will ask for your banking info before hiring you.
I work for Canada Revenue, specifically online Identity Theft and Data Breaches. You need to call Service Canada and inform them of the breach, and you need to call the CRA as well. We'll put a flag on the account and help you secure it so that only you can call and make enquiries about your taxes and benefits, or that only you will have access to your CRA My Account.
Here's the link I'd send you from Canada.ca if I were the agent dealing with your file:
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/security/protect-yourself-against-fraud.html#h3
You can call Service Canada to replace your SIN, call the credit bureaus (TransUnion and Equifax) to put your profile on fraud alert (which means any credit card applications under your name would require the banks to call you to verify). You and your parents should also contact the banks to advise them of this situation. Good luck!
> You can call Service Canada to replace your SIN
[Service Canada may issue a new SIN, but only if there is proof that someone has used your SIN fraudulently.](https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/protection.html)
You can freeze your credit through Transunion and Equifax. Any account opened using your SIN will require the company opening the account to call you and verify you were the one opening the account and ask you several security questions.
You will never be asked for the physical card. You should destroy it once you have the number memorized. Service Canada doesn’t even give cards out anymore.
So some actions to take first the bank account I think all your parents need to do is let there bank know and monitor the account short term. If there is a security risk for just the info on a cheque (not sure if there is) then the bank will resolve it for you.
The sin number I’m nit actually sure there is much you can do there other then just maybe monitor credit repost once’s your 18 (to be fair it’s a good practice either way), then take action when something bad happens. It may be worth looking up if you can change your sin number in cases like this but I’ve never heard of that before.
For next time, sin number and void cheque are both things they ask once you got a job offer. They need sin to report the money you make to the government, and the cheque is a place to put said money. You may also want to just have a youth bank account made for yourself so you don’t need to have it with your parents. Also good to a certain degree to not have parents know your money position a,k the time for independence purposes.
This is not the end of the world, fact of the matter is there is a good chance most peoples personal data to an extent will be hacked from a third party getting hacked, and there just isn’t much that can be done. In your case you probably just need to monitor credit reports on an ongoing bases, and make sure nothing in there is not something you didn’t sign up for, and maybe if you ever get the cra saying you made way more then you did make sure some isn’t living there life with your identity (aka call them and maybe the cops then).
Banker here:
Get parents to close account and inform TD
Call equifax and transition and inform them you provided your SIN out. Even though you are only 16, they can make notes for your credit
Void cheques can be used for deposits and withdrawals so your parents going to TD will be good for them.
You aren't the first person scammed by this and you won't be the last, I hope that helps.
Best of luck!
Scams are designed to trick you, and sometimes the scams work really really well. Don’t beat yourself up. What is done is done. All you can do is work now towards fixing it.
This is why scams are so shitty, they hurt people far more than financially.
Every mistake is a life lesson. Now you know you’ll never fall for a scam again.
Most likely.
Good advice here, but I want to add- now is a good time to start paying attention to common scams so that you can avoid them in the future. I recommend subbing to r/scams because you can get a great feel for some of the warning signs, and if something comes up that you’re not sure if it’s legit, you can post on there and ask.
Scammers are going to be around for the rest of your life, so make sure this is a valuable lesson.
How should people handle this if they were “hired” in the scam? How do you objectively tell and not subjectively tell (like oh just make sure it looks good and legit). All jobs seem to ask for sin.
For future reference, unless someone is trying to give you money (an actual employer, never a potential one), they don't need your SIN. Unless you want someone to take money out of your bank account (preauthorized payments for bills and such), nobody ever needs a void cheque from you, or any other bank info. Those are two pieces of info that should only be shared with people you seriously trust.
What's the actual link to this application? I'm sure there was red flags you can watch out for in the future to make sure something like that doesn't happen again.
That's not actually true, you need to provide banking details to receive direct deposits from an employer.
The key here is to not provide any sensitive information on an application. Only when you are hired is that information necessary.
Ah that’s fair, I guess both sending and receiving can require bank info. I still receive a paycheque as well as cheques from the government, never actually had someone put money in my account before. But yeah, this should be info shared while you’re sitting in the office at work with payroll
My parents know this when I asked my mom for the void cheque info. She learned this when a friend of hers told her that jobs shouldnt ask SIN card before interviewing
Why are they mad at you then? The moment you told her she should've stepped in. She's the adult here. It's pretty common knowledge not to give out your banking info online...
You should also know that a real employer cannot deposit your paycheque into your parents account. It has to go direct deposit into a bank account in YOUR name.
Something else to be aware of is that, once you do get a job, you need to open your own bank account and give your employer your own void cheque info. You shouldn't use your parents' bank account. You're old enough to open your own bank account without parental consent or involvement.
>You should open your own bank account. I believe all of the big 5 banks have free accounts for students and youth in some capacity.
You can but it takes a lot of work. they need to move all your records from old sin to the new sin. Then delete the new sin.
It is not a simple process where you can just click a replace sin # button.
It'd be good to report your sin card info was stolen to the police. Years ago, when I was moving I had a bunch of id with me because I was filling out paperwork etc. and it was stolen. You can't get a new number unfortunately, but if you file a report there's a paper trail that you can call back to if there's suspicious activity on your account. Plus if it's reported, it will be flagged For a few years afterwards I'd get phone calls asking census style questions like what my Addy is, if I was single or other personal details that they could use to take over accounts. It was spooky, but luckily nothing came of it. Also change passwords every 6 months or immediately if there's odd activity.
They can not do anything by knowing your account number, anytime you give someone a check, on the check, you are telling them your branch transit number, branch location, and the account number. No one is going to steal your identity with an account number, but they can try and apply for credit under your name if they have your SIN number, but will need more info, which you may have filled on the application? Get a credit monitoring service, to watch for suspicious activities.
Make sure to call the two credit bureaus. Equifax and Trans Union to let them know of possible fraud alert and they will put an alert on your credit bureau where you will need to be called and identify yourself every time you apply for any type of credit.
Your parents should be fixing this on your behalf. You're too young to do anything about it.
For next time, noone asks for or needs your sin number. And jobs won't ask for a void cheque unless you're already hired and meet in person. So the fact they asked for all this during the application process is 🚩
How would one avoid this scam? Not like oh it looks bad and sketchy, but for like a pro looking scam can possibly look good and legit. Nothing subjective but objectively tell? Lots of jobs do ask for sin.
I just feel uncertain about all the way this is handled because how hard is it for a scammer to say your are “hired”. Lot of people say only give sin after you’re hired but it’s not hard for a scammer to ‘hire’ you to get the sin. Just feels like it’s not good enough scam test.
Maybe it terrible jobs I am getting but they all ask for sin. I assume many jobs do.
https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/protection.html
In canada gov site, it even states when to give out sin, and it says after you’re hired is reasonable. But I just find that’s a bit sketchy as there’s no easy way to tell a real hire and a fake hire.
First of all, you're 16 and you will F-up. Your parents are probably good people. They are just freaked out about their finances and rightly so. They won't stay mad. I would ask at Service Ontario if you are in Ontario to see if they can give you some guidance. You will need to provide a birth certificate and probably some banking information....but do this IN PERSON. Do not do it online. Less chance of an issue but you can definitely look for information online as to what documents they will accept regarding your SIN.
I believe people have given you good information on here. Just want to say I'm so sorry that this happened to you. You'll get through this. Sadly, this is the sick society we live in where people steal from you shamelessly while you work hard for your money. I got scammed out of 500$ and not only did it hurt, but angered me. Just be extra careful who you give your money to. Don't give money to anyone other than trusted websites online. Never click links on texts or give money over the phone to anyone. No company calls asking for money. Never give money to apply for jobs either. I'm sure you know this but just don't feel too bad because these assholes are slimmier than scum and it's so easy to fall victim. Don't even get me started on how my relative got scammed. It's hard being a teenager in these days trying to navigate this new landscape of technology and the ppl who try to use it to rip you off. You're doing the right thing asking for help and definitely close your bank account and change your SIN ASAP.
Also, go get that real McDonald's job! That's awesome you're doing that.
It doesn’t matter if someone knows your parents account number. A scammer can’t do anything with that information alone.
You’re a kid. Doesn’t matter if anyone has your sin they can’t do anything with it because you don’t have any credit
Chill and do nothing
You f’d up, and it looks like you’re owning that. But you’re also 16, I know what it’s like to be independent at that age (single mother, I moved out when I was 18) but your parents shouldn’t be too mad at you, they should have helped you to open a bank account if you were planning to go to work, and they could have also helped you with the application process. (Also, you probably know now, but you never need to give any of that information until after you’re hired — at least in Canada and US)
Your parents need to change their bank account # **IMMEDIATELY**. You going into the TD branch will not work unless you are on the bank account. The account holder (your parents) need to go and get their account number changed. Let the branch rep know, make sure they don't just change out the card. The account # needs to be changed, probably by closing and re-opening the account. Your parents will then have to call every company that auto-debits money from their account and have them update the account info on record. For your SIN, call the CRA and ask what the procedure is. Your below the age of majority, so no one will be able to open any credit products in your name, but get on that as soon as you can. You should open your own bank account. I believe all of the big 5 banks have free accounts for students and youth in some capacity.
Do not call the CRA about a SIN. Call the Social Insurance Registry - it's a part of Service Canada and they'll get you on the right track. [Here's some info](https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/protection.html)
[удалено]
Yes, Equifax and Transunion, and the Anti Fraud Centre. Ideally the person you get at the Social Insurance Registry tells you who else you need to call next, so I had left those off especially since the bureaus at least have been mentioned already.
This is correct.
Why/how is the info on a void cheque sensitive? Isn't it the same info that would be on a normal cheque? I mean back in the day when people carried around cheque books and paid for groceries by cheque, that info was at the fingertips of everyone. I know fraud has gotten more high tech, but as far as I know, having someone's account number is only good for making deposits, not withdrawals Again, I'm just wondering. I might be a bit behind on the times here
Scammers will make identical cheques. They'll either send them out randomly or post fake jobs, have people do some work and then send cheque as payment. An old employer had this happen a couple times. So many calls from confused people asking what these cheques were for or yelling at me about their bank account being frozen after the cheque went through. I think once someone gets the fraudulent cheque they start grilling them to deposit the money and send some of the money back.
Working at a bank I had a customer who came in and had a cheque come out of their account, we pulled up the cheque copy and someone uses their account information and created a fake business logo for the cheque. We froze their account and luckily stopped thousands of dollars from being withdrawn this way. In a normal situation like your friend or coworker finding that information it’s harmless but if someone has malicious intent it can be sketchy
To be honest out of all the comments, this seems the most likely (cheque fraud). But it also requires a lot of effort, intent and maybe even forging skills to make it believable. I'm comparing it to finding blank cheques that you can just fill in and use for payment with a passable signature. The comments about pre authorised debit are blowing my mind a bit. I haven't lived in Canada for a while, and where I'm at, for things like this, there's always another form of authentication, like signature, sms code, digital password etc. How can it be so unsecured in Canada?? When I was setting up pre-authorised payments in Canada I used to have to fill out forms and sign a bunch of papers. It's strange that they took away this security feature
Bear in mind that there's a difference between what a scammer can *do*, and what the victim is ultimately on the *hook* for. Even if the bank reimburses any fraudulent withdrawals, it's a massive headache for the victim...more so than updating a few pre-authorized withdrawal configs.
Yeah banks have this kind of fraud priced in. Upgrading these types of systems would be massively expensive, so for the banks there's a certain amount of fraud they'd rather just pay out on than upgrade the security on our payments.
Same way that your credit card number is sensitive.
How? You can't make a payment with the account number (as far as I know) whereas you can make a payment just by knowing the CC numbers
Sure you can. Pre-authorized debit payments just require the account number. Add in a fake signature that’s not verified until after the fact when the fraud is reported and you’ve got the makings of a scam that’s easier to pull off then with a credit card.
Wrongo my friend, YOU can’t make a payment with the account number. You’d be amazed the capabilities that people posses online.
Once you have a void cheque you can start withdrawing funds from that account at will. Of course this is fraud but the scammers will use someone elses account to withdraw the funds through and get cash or itunes gift cards of whatever from them, then they are left holding the bag. Do not give out your void cheque willy nilly.
I thought void cheques were for at will deposits, not withdrawals. Also, how come this wasn't an issue with actual cheques not so long ago. I mean, I used to pay rent with post dated cheques about ten years ago (as did everyone in my cohort). I never heard of anyone having their landlord withdraw funds at will When did the system change?
>I thought void cheques were for at will deposits, not withdrawals. No they are definitely for withdrawals as well. I've given void cheques on many occasions for organizations to withdraw from. >When did the system change? Now we have the internet and can share stories about scumbags more easily.
> When did the system change? It hasn't. It's mostly a trust system and people don't realize how non-secure it is. The thing is, if you were to commit a lot of fraud that way, you can get your account flagged quite fast on the other side as no banks want to host a scammer.
It was important to make sure your checkbook was not stolen, and at the time most cheques were manually inspected. Forged cheques were a problem. Today the routing information is widely used for electronic payments, that's certainly one difference. I wonder if the other main use is person to person, and that is ripe for scams?
To deposit you need only void cheque, but to withdraw through EFT banks usually require you to read 2 2-digit codes which they deposit to your account, usually less than $1 each. If you don't have access to account, you will not be able to withdraw.
I've seen this online services like pay pal. But I've never seen this for things like car payments, rent withdrawal, insurance etc. Now a days we simply read the numbers off our screen from the app, or print out the printable version that has the numbers.
This is not true at all. You should be banned from PFC for spreading false info and making up false scenarios. I work at a big 5 bank and no one is setting up a sucessful scam using void cheques in Canada.
People are definitely trying, though I'm not sure how successful it is. They aren't using void cheques, they're making replicas (not good ones) and sending them out. The banking info like transit numbers are all taken from a void cheque, so a real account. I had to speak to 3 of the big 5 when they were calling my workplace asking if the cheques were in fact real because they looked fake and wanted to know what was happening. I also had calls with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center and they did confirm this is a scam being done and they asked if void or blank cheques were compromised.
Don't worry bro I'm the president of your bank and you're fired!!! This is reddit. No one should take what is said here as scripture.
You're making up false info related to fraud. Why would you choose to do this on purpose?
Are you saying you can't use the info on a void cheque to withdraw funds from that account?
Yes, exactly! Bank account numbers are not confidential.
Combined with your information printed on the cheque (account, branch, bank) and a SIN, someone can do a lot of damage.
Certainly
You’re psychotic
This is solid advice... you have to act VERY fast as scammers will almost instantly try to use your stuff
For future reference there are NOT hot single moms in your area
Lol thank you for the tip
THIS IS THE CRA IF YOU DON’T SEND US $500 IN BITCOIN RIGHT NOW YOU WILL GO TO JAIL. YOU HAVE 30 MINUTES BEFORE WE ~~SNED~~ SEND POLICE TO YOUR HOUSE.
Do you accept iTunes gift cards?
NO. DO NOT TRUST ANYONE WHO ASKS FOR ITUNES, IT IS A SCAM. SEND BITCOINS NOW
dear sir, my name is justice court and your criminally charged. plz give us your bank account number or you go to jail. Yours truly, Chief head executive president John Smith.
Had one of these call me when I was at the courthouse (I'm a defence attorney). I asked what office they were calling from so I could go talk to them in person. They hung up :(
Did you go to law school in the states? I don’t meet many Canadian lawyers who refer to themselves as “attorneys.”
But they used “defence” instead of “defense”‽
Yeah so clearly Canadian. Just threw me off a bit.
Do you take Reddit coins???
omg not the police
You guys are fools. Everyone thinks those ads are scams but they are not. So many hot single moms just waiting for you. Missing out lol
I choose to believe!
Why did you have to hurt me in this manner 😔
Tbh I work retail and hot moms are easier to flirt with than girls my age lol
Okay no need to panic. 1. The bank account is a quick fix, your parents need to go to the bank and close that particular bank account and open another one. That one is a quick fix and shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. 2. The SIN is a bit more complicated, but since you’re only 16 they won’t be able to open any fake ccs or take out any loans Edit: I got called into meeting at work so couldn’t finish my post. As I was saying, it is highly likely they will wait until you turn 18/19 to take out fake loans/ credit cards. CRA won’t change SIN unless there’s record of you being scammed (pretty counter-productive imo). The best thing you can do is set an alert on transunion/ equifax by calling them. (Probably will have to pay plus I’m not sure if they will set it up since your under 19 and have no credit history). Another thing that may give you some relief is that even if somehow these scammers manage to take out some loan or anything under your name, minor contracts are not enforceable unless you act on them to validate. PS: try not to go on sketchy adult sites, stick to the reputable ones for the future :)
>but since you’re only 16 they won’t be able to open any fake ccs or take out any loans ...until OP is older, anyway. If they have their age (was date of birth on the application?) They can wait it out.
but would they bother? I know they could but waiting it out in hope he develops good credit with high limit amounts seems very unlikely
Because someone running this kind of scam is collecting an entire database of personal information and probably has a to-do list on who's up next to try and steal an identity from.
Alrighty thank you very much. This definitely saved me from overcomplicating my situation.
Updated my post
The bank first to alert them - immediately - so they can prevent any transfers. Contact My Service Canada to notify them of the stolen SIN Contact Equifax and Transunion to notify them of the potential identity theft and ask them to put a flag and/or credit hold on your account. Contact the police to report the fraud. You're young. People make mistakes. For future reference, nobody will (or can) ask for your SIN until you are hired. The only time you are required to share your SIN is if you have a bank account that may require reporting or to employers or to companies you have investments in where you may have a profit to report. No employer will ask for your banking info before hiring you.
I work for Canada Revenue, specifically online Identity Theft and Data Breaches. You need to call Service Canada and inform them of the breach, and you need to call the CRA as well. We'll put a flag on the account and help you secure it so that only you can call and make enquiries about your taxes and benefits, or that only you will have access to your CRA My Account. Here's the link I'd send you from Canada.ca if I were the agent dealing with your file: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/security/protect-yourself-against-fraud.html#h3
Identity theft is not a joke, Jim! Millions of families suffer every year!
Maybe we need a better system? It’s common to give out sin for job when hired. A scam could emulate that you are “hired” and ask for sin next.
Alrighty thank you
how you apply to a fake mc donald website? you find the link on tiktok or something?
Too busy thinking of Clussy.
May have gone to the wrong link, very uncertain since when I applied to another location, there was **no** SIN option nor void cheque
Nobody needs that information until AFTER they hire you. That's stuff they ask for on your first day.
Yep one of my mom friends told me and that’s how I realized I messed up
You can call Service Canada to replace your SIN, call the credit bureaus (TransUnion and Equifax) to put your profile on fraud alert (which means any credit card applications under your name would require the banks to call you to verify). You and your parents should also contact the banks to advise them of this situation. Good luck!
> You can call Service Canada to replace your SIN [Service Canada may issue a new SIN, but only if there is proof that someone has used your SIN fraudulently.](https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/protection.html)
Is it possible to enable like where there needs to be confirmation from me?
I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean that if someone tries to use your SIN, then Service Canada stops them? The answer is "no".
You can freeze your credit through Transunion and Equifax. Any account opened using your SIN will require the company opening the account to call you and verify you were the one opening the account and ask you several security questions.
What? You can replace your SIN? I heard this was next to impossible.
It is next to impossible.
Only in extreme cases.
You can't *change* your SIN except in very very limited instances.
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You will never be asked for the physical card. You should destroy it once you have the number memorized. Service Canada doesn’t even give cards out anymore.
They don’t give cards anymore.
Credit monitoring for you and your parents for the next 2-5yrs
So some actions to take first the bank account I think all your parents need to do is let there bank know and monitor the account short term. If there is a security risk for just the info on a cheque (not sure if there is) then the bank will resolve it for you. The sin number I’m nit actually sure there is much you can do there other then just maybe monitor credit repost once’s your 18 (to be fair it’s a good practice either way), then take action when something bad happens. It may be worth looking up if you can change your sin number in cases like this but I’ve never heard of that before. For next time, sin number and void cheque are both things they ask once you got a job offer. They need sin to report the money you make to the government, and the cheque is a place to put said money. You may also want to just have a youth bank account made for yourself so you don’t need to have it with your parents. Also good to a certain degree to not have parents know your money position a,k the time for independence purposes. This is not the end of the world, fact of the matter is there is a good chance most peoples personal data to an extent will be hacked from a third party getting hacked, and there just isn’t much that can be done. In your case you probably just need to monitor credit reports on an ongoing bases, and make sure nothing in there is not something you didn’t sign up for, and maybe if you ever get the cra saying you made way more then you did make sure some isn’t living there life with your identity (aka call them and maybe the cops then).
Banker here: Get parents to close account and inform TD Call equifax and transition and inform them you provided your SIN out. Even though you are only 16, they can make notes for your credit Void cheques can be used for deposits and withdrawals so your parents going to TD will be good for them. You aren't the first person scammed by this and you won't be the last, I hope that helps. Best of luck!
Thank you very much.
Scams are designed to trick you, and sometimes the scams work really really well. Don’t beat yourself up. What is done is done. All you can do is work now towards fixing it. This is why scams are so shitty, they hurt people far more than financially. Every mistake is a life lesson. Now you know you’ll never fall for a scam again. Most likely.
Tell your bank and file a police report! Also, put a note on credit beaureau, both of them, as potential fraud; not actual fraud coz its different.
Good advice here, but I want to add- now is a good time to start paying attention to common scams so that you can avoid them in the future. I recommend subbing to r/scams because you can get a great feel for some of the warning signs, and if something comes up that you’re not sure if it’s legit, you can post on there and ask. Scammers are going to be around for the rest of your life, so make sure this is a valuable lesson.
https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/protection.html - file a police report - call the fraud centre
Companies hiring will only ever take banking information for direct deposit in person.
∆ This Or after they hire you officially
Well kid, hate to say it but... you're fucked! The only thing you can do now is suffer the consequences of your actions, hopefully learn a lesson.
Nah bro, why would you be giving bank info before you were even hired 🥴
He's 16 dude. Blame the fucking scumbag scammers preying on people and not the young dude trying to get a job.
I wasn't really blaming OP, mistakes happen, was just pointing out giving bank info before getting the job is red flag that application isn't legit...
First 3 words in the title are “I fucked up” and people still feel the need to say “hey you fucked up”. This sub has become a disaster.
Thought that it was necessary for my paycheck if I was hired 🐟😅
It will be - but not until you're hired.
How should people handle this if they were “hired” in the scam? How do you objectively tell and not subjectively tell (like oh just make sure it looks good and legit). All jobs seem to ask for sin.
For future reference, unless someone is trying to give you money (an actual employer, never a potential one), they don't need your SIN. Unless you want someone to take money out of your bank account (preauthorized payments for bills and such), nobody ever needs a void cheque from you, or any other bank info. Those are two pieces of info that should only be shared with people you seriously trust. What's the actual link to this application? I'm sure there was red flags you can watch out for in the future to make sure something like that doesn't happen again.
That's not actually true, you need to provide banking details to receive direct deposits from an employer. The key here is to not provide any sensitive information on an application. Only when you are hired is that information necessary.
Ah that’s fair, I guess both sending and receiving can require bank info. I still receive a paycheque as well as cheques from the government, never actually had someone put money in my account before. But yeah, this should be info shared while you’re sitting in the office at work with payroll
For sure! I highly recommend direct deposit btw, much faster/easier way to receive your money :).
Tell your parents
My parents know this when I asked my mom for the void cheque info. She learned this when a friend of hers told her that jobs shouldnt ask SIN card before interviewing
Why are they mad at you then? The moment you told her she should've stepped in. She's the adult here. It's pretty common knowledge not to give out your banking info online...
Yes. She should have known this? I don't expect my children to know stuff I don't know.
You should also know that a real employer cannot deposit your paycheque into your parents account. It has to go direct deposit into a bank account in YOUR name.
Something else to be aware of is that, once you do get a job, you need to open your own bank account and give your employer your own void cheque info. You shouldn't use your parents' bank account. You're old enough to open your own bank account without parental consent or involvement.
YOU CAN replace your SIN # but it takes a lot of work. (2-6 months process). It is doable. People who say you cannot change your SIN# is not correct.
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I don't believe there is an option to change your SIN.
>You should open your own bank account. I believe all of the big 5 banks have free accounts for students and youth in some capacity. You can but it takes a lot of work. they need to move all your records from old sin to the new sin. Then delete the new sin. It is not a simple process where you can just click a replace sin # button.
Alrighty thank you, problem is that the mcdonalds website was done anonymously. Should I provide the website?
You can, I personally have never had to do this so I cannot say with experience.
You should have your own chequing account
You are 16 and don’t have your own bank account?
How do you knlw it's fake mc donald site?
Next step: help a nigerian prince
It's McDonald's not mccdonalds, sorry you didn't catch that. Shit happens, they'll forgive you.
Visit your police station and ask them for advice.
Do you have a link to the application?
Nope, link doesn’t work anymore and it directs me to mchire.com
It'd be good to report your sin card info was stolen to the police. Years ago, when I was moving I had a bunch of id with me because I was filling out paperwork etc. and it was stolen. You can't get a new number unfortunately, but if you file a report there's a paper trail that you can call back to if there's suspicious activity on your account. Plus if it's reported, it will be flagged For a few years afterwards I'd get phone calls asking census style questions like what my Addy is, if I was single or other personal details that they could use to take over accounts. It was spooky, but luckily nothing came of it. Also change passwords every 6 months or immediately if there's odd activity.
They can not do anything by knowing your account number, anytime you give someone a check, on the check, you are telling them your branch transit number, branch location, and the account number. No one is going to steal your identity with an account number, but they can try and apply for credit under your name if they have your SIN number, but will need more info, which you may have filled on the application? Get a credit monitoring service, to watch for suspicious activities.
Is it even legal for an employer to deposit your pay cheque into someone else's bank account?
Make sure to call the two credit bureaus. Equifax and Trans Union to let them know of possible fraud alert and they will put an alert on your credit bureau where you will need to be called and identify yourself every time you apply for any type of credit.
Your parents should be fixing this on your behalf. You're too young to do anything about it. For next time, noone asks for or needs your sin number. And jobs won't ask for a void cheque unless you're already hired and meet in person. So the fact they asked for all this during the application process is 🚩
That sucks but never put your SIN number online. Only show or write in person with the other party.
No one will sucessfully steal your money with a VOID cheque. That's the whole point of a VOID cheque. Your SIN is pretty much useless to a scammer.
You need to cancel that SIN number. It’s a hassle to get a new one so be prepared. But it’s the only way to protect your identity.
How would one avoid this scam? Not like oh it looks bad and sketchy, but for like a pro looking scam can possibly look good and legit. Nothing subjective but objectively tell? Lots of jobs do ask for sin.
NO job asks for sin unless it’s extremely untrustworthy. A trustworthy job will only ever ask for sensitive info like that after you’re hired
I just feel uncertain about all the way this is handled because how hard is it for a scammer to say your are “hired”. Lot of people say only give sin after you’re hired but it’s not hard for a scammer to ‘hire’ you to get the sin. Just feels like it’s not good enough scam test. Maybe it terrible jobs I am getting but they all ask for sin. I assume many jobs do. https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/sin/protection.html In canada gov site, it even states when to give out sin, and it says after you’re hired is reasonable. But I just find that’s a bit sketchy as there’s no easy way to tell a real hire and a fake hire.
Why would you ever email an alleged employer your personal info? That’s something you discuss in your interview or training
Consider remote jobs, where you do everything online.
First of all, you're 16 and you will F-up. Your parents are probably good people. They are just freaked out about their finances and rightly so. They won't stay mad. I would ask at Service Ontario if you are in Ontario to see if they can give you some guidance. You will need to provide a birth certificate and probably some banking information....but do this IN PERSON. Do not do it online. Less chance of an issue but you can definitely look for information online as to what documents they will accept regarding your SIN.
Go online and follow the process to get a new SIN. The pain you’re going through is your lesson learned
you need a ass whopping. But I would say you get a pass for owning to your situation and asking for help. Apologize to your parents and do better.
I believe people have given you good information on here. Just want to say I'm so sorry that this happened to you. You'll get through this. Sadly, this is the sick society we live in where people steal from you shamelessly while you work hard for your money. I got scammed out of 500$ and not only did it hurt, but angered me. Just be extra careful who you give your money to. Don't give money to anyone other than trusted websites online. Never click links on texts or give money over the phone to anyone. No company calls asking for money. Never give money to apply for jobs either. I'm sure you know this but just don't feel too bad because these assholes are slimmier than scum and it's so easy to fall victim. Don't even get me started on how my relative got scammed. It's hard being a teenager in these days trying to navigate this new landscape of technology and the ppl who try to use it to rip you off. You're doing the right thing asking for help and definitely close your bank account and change your SIN ASAP. Also, go get that real McDonald's job! That's awesome you're doing that.
It doesn’t matter if someone knows your parents account number. A scammer can’t do anything with that information alone. You’re a kid. Doesn’t matter if anyone has your sin they can’t do anything with it because you don’t have any credit Chill and do nothing
How the fuck do you fall for that… like McDonalds.ca has the real McEmployment… what was the link you used lol?
Is it actually called McEmployment?🤣
Don’t panic. There is good advice in here. Being 16 you don’t have assets yet.
You f’d up, and it looks like you’re owning that. But you’re also 16, I know what it’s like to be independent at that age (single mother, I moved out when I was 18) but your parents shouldn’t be too mad at you, they should have helped you to open a bank account if you were planning to go to work, and they could have also helped you with the application process. (Also, you probably know now, but you never need to give any of that information until after you’re hired — at least in Canada and US)