Report a side hustle scam in Canada to your local police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and tell the bank if money already left the account. The Competition Bureau’s page on how to report fraud and scams lists those steps, and it says the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre estimates that less than 5% of fraud victims report to law enforcement. The centre’s job scam page gives the same two doors: local police, and the Report Cybercrime and Fraud website or 1-888-495-8501.
This is general information, not legal advice. What the scripts look like is side hustle scams, task scams, and fake cheque and overpayment scams.
Where do you report a side hustle scam in Canada?
You report a side hustle scam to local police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Use both. The police report is the local record. The centre collects reports from across the country. The Competition Bureau’s reporting page says to call the police especially if you lost money. If nobody is in immediate danger, use the non-emergency number published on your police service’s own website. There is no single national non-emergency number. Do not use 911 for a report you can file on the non-emergency line.
| Step | Who | What they asked for on the official page |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | You | Names, phone numbers, web addresses, screenshots, receipts |
| 2 | Local police | A report, and the file number they give you |
| 3 | Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre | reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca or 1-888-495-8501 |
| 4 | Bank, card, or payment app | Notice that the transfer was fraud, via the number on the card |
| 5 | The website or app | The site’s own report-abuse or report-an-ad link |
| 6 | Competition Bureau, if the problem is a misleading ad | Complaint form or 1-800-348-5358 |
The centre is jointly managed by the RCMP, the Competition Bureau, and the Ontario Provincial Police, according to the Bureau’s February 2025 notice. That notice also says to report to the centre even when there was no financial loss.
What should you write down before you call?
Write down the facts while the messages are still in the phone. The Competition Bureau’s reporting page asks you to keep the name used, what they wanted, when it happened, the phone number, the exact web address, and copies of emails, texts, receipts, and cancelled cheques. Save a screenshot of the sales page, the checkout, and the payment confirmation. If you found the page through a search, note the words you searched.
Keep those files in one folder. The same page says they may be evidence. Do not send the folder to a person who contacts you later and offers to recover the money. The centre’s home page warns that fraudsters impersonate the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and that the centre does not contact people to request money.
Illustrative example
This is a teaching list of what a report contains. It is not a real file and not a typical loss.
Suppose the message used the name “Alex,” a number you wrote down, and a web page you screenshotted on a Tuesday. Suppose you sent an assumed $400 by e-transfer at 8:15 p.m. and the bank reference is on the receipt. The report is those four facts plus the screenshot. The $400 is an assumption so the list has a shape. It is not an average loss. Stop contact before you add a second payment to “unlock” the first one.
How do you report the scam to police without calling 911?
Contact the police service for the place you live, or the place the money was taken from, using the non-emergency number or online form on that service’s website. The Competition Bureau says reporting to local law enforcement tells police in your area that someone may be targeting local people, and that you should call the police if you lost money. Ask for a file number and write it down. You will want it for the bank and for the Anti-Fraud Centre report.
Municipal police and the RCMP split coverage by community. This guide does not list detachment numbers, because they change and they are local. Search the service’s own site for “non-emergency” plus your city. If someone is in danger, or the situation is happening now and you need urgent help, call 911.
How do you report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre?
Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca or by phone at 1-888-495-8501. The job-scam page and the Competition Bureau’s reporting page both give that phone number. File the report even if you only received the message and did not pay. The Bureau’s 2025 notice says a report with no financial loss still goes to the centre.
Have the police file number if you already have one. Have the payment details if money moved. The centre does not take payment from you to investigate, and it does not call you to ask for a fee. Hang up on anyone who says they are the centre and then asks for money, gift cards, or remote access to your computer.
When should you call the bank, the platform, and the Competition Bureau?
Call the financial institution as soon as money has moved. The Competition Bureau’s step 4 says to notify the bank, credit union, card issuer, or payment service that transferred the money, and to tell them you are reporting fraud on the account. Use the number on the back of your card, in your statement, or in the official app. A number inside the scam text is part of the scam. The centre’s payment-methods bulletin is the page that explains why a cheque or e-transfer that looked real can still be reversed, and why you should talk to the institution that moved the funds.
If the offer lived on a website, a marketplace, or a social network, use that site’s report link. The Bureau names Facebook, eBay, Kijiji, and dating sites as examples, and says the link is often called “report abuse” or “report an ad.” An app with its own help form gets the same treatment: report the profile inside the app, and keep the confirmation.
Misleading advertising is a Competition Bureau matter even when it is not a theft. The reporting page says you can report false or misleading marketing with the Bureau’s online complaint form or by telephone at 1-800-348-5358. A course page that invents earnings is that kind of report. The buying-side warning signs are in how to spot a course funnel.
If the scam used your identity, the same Bureau page says to contact both national credit bureaus and ask for a fraud alert: Equifax at 1-888-836-6351 and TransUnion at 1-800-663-9980. If you think your social insurance number was stolen, it says to contact Service Canada at 1-866-274-2267. Investment scams can also go to your provincial securities regulator through the Canadian Securities Administrators, which the Bureau lists on that page.
What should you stop doing after you report?
Stop paying. A second fee to release a refund is the same scam. Stop installing software the sender asks for. Tell anyone whose name or photo was used, if you can do that without sending them money. Money you lost is not side hustle income. A small real payment for real work, if there was any, is a separate question in how to report side hustle income. This page does not tell you how to deduct a fraud loss.
This is not legal advice.
Which guides sit next to reporting a side hustle scam?
The patterns are side hustle scams, task scams, and fake cheque and overpayment scams. Course and “done for you” ads are course funnel red flags. Short tax answers that people mix up with “free money” offers are in the side hustle tax FAQ.
What are the common questions?
Where do I report a side hustle scam in Canada?
Report it to your local police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca or 1-888-495-8501. If money moved, tell your bank using the number on your card. Misleading ads can also go to the Competition Bureau at 1-800-348-5358.
Should I call 911 to report a side hustle scam?
Use 911 if someone is in danger or you need urgent help. Otherwise use the non-emergency number on your local police service's website. The Competition Bureau says to contact local police, especially if you lost money. There is no single national non-emergency number.
Can I report a scam if I did not lose money?
Yes. The Competition Bureau says to report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre even when there was no financial loss. The attempt is still a report.
Will the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre call me and ask for a fee?
No. The centre warns that fraudsters impersonate it and that the centre does not contact people to request money. Hang up if a caller claiming to be the centre asks you to pay, buy gift cards, or install software.
Who investigates a misleading side hustle advertisement?
The Competition Bureau takes reports of misleading or deceptive marketing through its online complaint form or at 1-800-348-5358. Theft and fraud reports still go to local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre as well.
Which sources support this guide?
The rules, rates, and platform requirements in this guide are checked against these primary sources. Retail price ranges are labelled as ranges to verify locally, and they are not quotes.
- How to report fraud and scams in Canada — Competition Bureau Canada
- Job scams — Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre — Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
- Fraud Prevention Month: impersonation fraud — Competition Bureau Canada
- Bulletin: Payment methods — Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre