Money just sent to a scammer? Call your bank first, then the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre on 1-888-495-8501. What to do next

Who to call, by city

How to report a scam in Metro Vancouver: who to call, in order

If you lost money, call your bank first on the number on your card. Then report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre on 1-888-495-8501 or at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca, and to your local police on the non-emergency line listed below. Call 911 only if someone is in danger or a scammer is at your door. If you did not lose anything, forwarding a scam text to 7726 and reporting to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is enough.

Last reviewed . Written by Jeyki Security, free to use and print.

Most people do not know who to call after a scam, and the order matters. Your bank can sometimes stop a payment if you are fast. Police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre need the report for their records and so your bank or a credit bureau has a file number.

The order to call

  1. Your bank or card company. Use the number on the back of your card or on the bank’s official website. Ask them to stop or recall any payment and to protect your accounts.
  2. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Call 1-888-495-8501 or report online at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca.
  3. Your local police, on the non-emergency line below or through their online reporting. Ask for a file number and write it down.
  4. Equifax and TransUnion, if you shared your SIN, ID or banking details. Ask each for a free fraud alert. The email hacked checklist has their numbers.
  5. The platform where it happened: Facebook, Craigslist, your phone carrier (forward scam texts to 7726), or the company that was impersonated.

Police non-emergency lines in Metro Vancouver

Call 911 if someone is in danger, the crime is happening now, or a “courier” is coming to collect money or cards. For everything else:

Where you live Police Non-emergency line
Vancouver Vancouver Police Department 604-717-3321
Surrey Surrey Police Service 604-599-0502
Burnaby Burnaby RCMP 604-646-9999
Richmond Richmond RCMP 604-278-1212
Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Anmore, Belcarra Coquitlam RCMP 604-945-1550
North Vancouver (City and District) North Vancouver RCMP 604-985-1311
West Vancouver West Vancouver Police 604-925-7300
New Westminster New Westminster Police 604-525-5411
Delta Delta Police 604-946-4411
Langley (City and Township) Langley RCMP 604-532-3200
Maple Ridge Maple Ridge RCMP 604-463-6251
Pitt Meadows Pitt Meadows RCMP 778-670-9010

Not listed? Search your city or town’s website for “police non-emergency”. Many RCMP detachments also take reports through the RCMP’s online crime reporting tool, which is useful when phone lines are busy. BC RCMP reported temporary problems with some detachments’ non-emergency phone lines in 2026, so if a line does not connect, try online reporting or visit the front counter.

The Vancouver Police Department asks people to phone in a police report for fraud over $10,000 in Vancouver, and points smaller losses to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

A warning about these numbers. Scammers have faked the caller ID of several of these police lines. Police will not call to ask you for money, gift cards or bank details. If a call shows one of these numbers and asks for anything like that, hang up and call the number yourself.

Other places to report

What to have ready

  • Dates and times of every contact.
  • Phone numbers, email addresses, websites and usernames the scammer used.
  • How much you paid, how, and any transaction or reference numbers.
  • Screenshots of messages. Do not delete the conversation until you have reported it.

If a scam just happened and you are not sure where to start, what to do after a scam walks through the first hour.

Common questions

Do I need to report a scam to the police if I lost money?

Yes, it is a good idea. Your bank or a credit bureau may ask for a police file number. Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre as well, because police and the Centre keep separate records.

Should I call 911 about a scam?

Only if someone is in danger, a crime is happening right now, or someone is at your door to collect money or cards. Otherwise use your local police non-emergency line or online reporting.

A call showed my local police number. Was it really them?

Not necessarily. Scammers have faked the non-emergency numbers of the Vancouver, Surrey, New Westminster and West Vancouver police. Police will not ask you for payment. Hang up and call the number on this page yourself.

I did not lose any money. Is it worth reporting?

Yes. A report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre takes a few minutes online and helps track new scams. For a scam text, forwarding it to 7726 is enough.

Will reporting get my money back?

Sometimes, especially if your bank acts quickly, but often not. That is why the bank call comes first. Be wary of anyone who contacts you offering to recover money for a fee, which is a second scam.

Sources

  1. Report cybercrime and fraud, National Cybercrime and Fraud Reporting System
  2. How to report fraud and scams in Canada, Competition Bureau of Canada
  3. Report a non-emergency, Vancouver Police Department
  4. Contact us, Surrey Police Service
  5. Contact, Burnaby RCMP
  6. Police, City of Richmond
  7. Contact, Coquitlam RCMP
  8. RCMP, City of North Vancouver
  9. Contact, New Westminster Police Department
  10. Delta Police Department
  11. West Vancouver Police Department
  12. Contact, Langley RCMP
  13. Ridge Meadows RCMP transition to two detachments, RCMP (April 2026)
  14. Reporting spam text messages to 7726, Get Cyber Safe (Government of Canada)
  15. InvestRight, BC Securities Commission

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