Alert: Fraudulent website impersonating Payments Canada
Details:
Delivery: Website
Name: Canada Payments Authority
Request: When you search for Payments Canada on Google a link appears to visit a website impersonating Payments Canada under the name “Canada Payments Authority” as below.
What you should know:
The Canadian Payments Association operates under the brand name Payments Canada. Payments Canada only has one public website: www.payments.ca. The website operating as the “Canada Payments Authority” is fraudulent.
Fraudsters impersonate organizations by creating “genuine looking” phishing websites and scheming new ways to lure people into clicking malicious links. Cybercriminals are purchasing advertising space to promote their phishing sites so that they appear at the top of search engine results. People may click the first or second link that appears to them, assuming that it is a trustworthy website.
What you should do:
- Always verify the URL or when in doubt go directly to payments.ca if you are unsure a website is legitimate.
- Be careful when clicking “Sponsored” or “Ad” links on Google. Ads typically appear at the top of search results. The first link may not always be the best link to click.
- If the link appears to be suspicious — even if it comes from a person or organization you know — contact them to verify if it’s legitimate.
- Never provide personal information in an email or on a website.
- Please notify us by forwarding the email to info@payments.ca
- If you suspect you’ve been a victim of fraud or notice unauthorized activity on your bank account, please contact your financial institution directly.
For more information on how to protect yourself from phishing emails or fraudulent websites, please visit: getcybersafe.gc.ca
