--- title: "Investment and crypto scams in BC · Jeyki Security" description: "An online friend, ad or app promises guaranteed returns? How to check a person or platform with the BC Securities Commission before you put money in." url: "https://jeyki.ca/guides/investment-crypto-scam-bc" --- 1. [Home](https://jeyki.ca/) 2. [Guides](https://jeyki.ca/guides) 3. Investment and crypto scams in BC: how to check before you invest Red flags and checks # Investment and crypto scams in BC: how to check before you invest Before investing with anyone you met online or through an ad, check that they are registered at aretheyregistered.ca and that they are not on the BC Securities Commission's Investment Caution List. Guaranteed high returns, pressure to act fast, a trading app you have never heard of, or being asked to pay a fee to withdraw your own money are signs of a scam. If you have already sent money, stop sending more and call your bank. Last reviewed October 14, 2026. Written by [Jeyki Security](https://jeyki.ca/about), free to use and print. [Email this to a parent](mailto:?subject=Investment%20and%20crypto%20scams%20in%20BC%3A%20how%20to%20check%20before%20you%20invest&body=Hi%2C%20I%20thought%20this%20free%20guide%20would%20help%20you%3A%0A%0AInvestment%20and%20crypto%20scams%20in%20BC%3A%20how%20to%20check%20before%20you%20invest%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fjeyki.ca%2Fguides%2Finvestment-crypto-scam-bc%0A%0AIt%20is%20written%20for%20people%20in%20Canada%20and%20takes%20a%20few%20minutes.)Share or copy linkPrint this guide Investment scams cause some of the largest losses reported in Canada, and many now involve cryptocurrency. They often start somewhere that does not feel like investing at all: a wrong-number text that turns friendly, a dating app match, a WhatsApp group, or an ad with a well-known face. Weeks later comes the opportunity, usually an app or website showing your “profits” growing. ## Red flags - **Guaranteed or very high returns** with little or no risk. - **Someone you have never met in person** is guiding your trades. - **An app or website you can only reach through their link,** not a well-known Canadian platform. - **Pressure to add more money** quickly, before an opportunity closes. - **Fees or “taxes” to withdraw** your own money. - **Requests to use a bitcoin ATM** or to send crypto to a wallet address they give you. - **Requests to install an app** that lets them see or control your screen. - **A celebrity endorsement** in an ad or “news” story. ## Check before you invest 1. **Look them up at aretheyregistered.ca.** Anyone selling investments or giving advice in Canada generally has to be registered. 2. **Search investright.org,** the BC Securities Commission’s investor site, including its Investment Caution List and investor alerts. 3. **Search the platform’s name plus “scam”.** Read results from news sites and regulators, not reviews on the platform itself. 4. **Talk to someone you trust** who has nothing to gain, before you send anything. ## If you already sent money 1. **Stop sending more,** whatever they say about fees or losing your profits. 2. **Call your bank** on the number on your card and say it is fraud. 3. **Keep everything:** messages, wallet addresses, transaction IDs, screenshots of the app. 4. **Report it** to your local police, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre on 1-888-495-8501 and the BC Securities Commission through investright.org. Our [Metro Vancouver reporting guide](https://jeyki.ca/guides/report-a-scam-metro-vancouver) lists the local police numbers. 5. **Beware of recovery offers.** Anyone who contacts you offering to get the money back for a fee is part of a second scam. 6. **If you installed an app** that let them control your device, follow the [remote access scam steps](https://jeyki.ca/guides/tech-support-pop-up-remote-access-scam). ## Common questions ### How do I check if an investment firm or adviser is legitimate in Canada? Search the person or firm at aretheyregistered.ca, run by Canada's securities regulators. Then check the BC Securities Commission's Investment Caution List on investright.org. Not being registered is a serious warning sign. ### I met someone online who is teaching me to trade crypto. Is that a scam? Very often, yes. A common pattern starts with a friendly or romantic contact who later introduces a trading app or website. Early small withdrawals may work, to build trust, before larger amounts disappear. ### The platform says I need to pay a tax or fee before I can withdraw. Should I pay? No. Being asked to pay to get your own money out is one of the clearest signs of an investment scam. Paying more almost never releases the funds. ### I saw a news story or ad with a famous Canadian promoting the investment. Is it real? Probably not. Scammers create fake news articles and AI-generated videos of well-known people. A celebrity endorsement proves nothing. ### Someone says they can recover my lost crypto for a fee. Can they? This is a second scam aimed at people who already lost money. Do not pay anyone up front to recover funds. Report the original loss to police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. ## Sources 1. [InvestRight, BC Securities Commission](https://www.investright.org/) 2. [Investor alerts, InvestRight (BC Securities Commission)](https://www.investright.org/news-and-insights/blog/investor-alerts/) 3. [Check registration, AreTheyRegistered.ca (Canadian Securities Administrators)](https://www.aretheyregistered.ca/) 4. [BCSC uncovers $4.3M crypto scam targeting Canadian investors, Crowdfund Insider (April 2025)](https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2025/04/238689-british-columbia-securities-commission-bcsc-uncovers-4-3m-crypto-scam-targeting-canadian-investors/) 5. [Report cybercrime and fraud, National Cybercrime and Fraud Reporting System](https://reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca/) ## Related guides - [Is this a scam? A 60-second check](https://jeyki.ca/guides/is-this-a-scam-60-second-check) A few yes or no questions and a clear next step. Works for calls, texts, emails and messages. - [Call from your bank's fraud department? How to spot the bank investigator scam](https://jeyki.ca/guides/bank-investigator-scam-canada) A caller says there is fraud on your card and asks for codes, a transfer or the card itself. How the bank investigator scam works and what to do. - [How to report a scam in Metro Vancouver: who to call, in order](https://jeyki.ca/guides/report-a-scam-metro-vancouver) Who to call after a scam in Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond and across Metro Vancouver: your bank, the Anti-Fraud Centre and local police. ## Worried about a parent's new online investment? In a scam defence session I walk through how these scams start, often with a friendly message or a fake celebrity ad, and practise with real examples. It is a flat C$149, in-home in Metro Vancouver or by video. I do not give investment advice or recover money. [See the scam defence session](https://jeyki.ca/services#scam-defence)