Side hustle scams in Canada are job, task, and marketplace frauds that copy the shape of real extra-income work: a text about easy tasks, a cheque for a “car wrap,” or a buyer who overpays a Kijiji listing. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s job scam page says many frauds target people looking for a job, and its warning signs include unlock payments, a balance you cannot withdraw, and requests to receive or forward money.
This is general information, not legal advice. The two close reads are why “pay to unlock your earnings” is a task scam and fake cheque and overpayment scams. A real mystery-shop assignment is a different thing; the scam version is in mystery shopping.
How common are side hustle and job scams in Canada?
Job fraud is one of the larger fraud types Canadians report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and the published totals count only what was reported. On the CAFC’s top 10 frauds in 2025 page, the centre received over 112,000 fraud reports involving more than $704 million in reported losses. Job fraud appears on both the frequency list and the dollar-loss list: 2,148 reports, 1,726 victims, and $50.6 million. Merchandise fraud, which includes marketplace scams, was 2,596 reports, 2,222 victims, and $11.7 million on the frequency table.
The CAFC’s 2022 annual report says its statistics are based on reports received, and that only 5 to 10 percent of fraud connected to Canadian victims is reported to the centre. That sentence is the centre’s caveat about reporting, not a licence to multiply the 2025 dollar figures by ten. This guide uses the 2025 counts as published.
| 2025 CAFC figure | What the top-10 page states |
|---|---|
| All fraud reports | Over 112,000 reports; more than $704 million in reported losses |
| Job fraud | 2,148 reports; 1,726 victims; $50.6 million |
| Merchandise fraud | 2,596 reports; 2,222 victims; $11.7 million on the frequency table |
| Under-reporting caveat | 5 to 10 percent, stated in the 2022 annual report, not as a 2025 multiplier |
What are 12 side hustle scam red flags in Canada?
Twelve red flags in Canada come from the CAFC’s job, merchandise, and payment-method pages. Any one of them is a reason to stop. Several together are the usual script.
- You must pay to start, upgrade, or unlock earnings. The job scam page lists upfront deposits, “upgrade fees,” and “unlock payments” as warning signs. The detail is in the task scam guide.
- The app shows a balance you cannot withdraw. The same page says you may see funds and still be unable to withdraw what you deposited or “earned.”
- A small first payout, then a demand for a deposit. The web-survey and fake online-store variation says victims may receive a small initial payout, then be asked to deposit money to continue.
- A cheque arrives before any work, and you are told to send part of it on. The counterfeit-cheque and car-wrap variations work this way. The payment-method bulletin says that if a cheque returns, you are responsible to repay the full amount.
- A buyer overpays and asks for the difference back. The CAFC merchandise page calls this overpayment fraud. The original payment is later fraudulent.
- A fake e-transfer or payment email asks you to “accept” funds. That page says the message can be built to steal banking credentials. A later CAFC note also warns that the message can be a request for money, not a payment to you.
- You are told to buy gift cards and send the numbers. The mystery-shopper variation on the job page uses gift cards “to confirm they work,” plus a survey that the CAFC calls a prop.
- The offer arrived from webmail, for a job you did not apply for, using a real company’s name. The May 30, 2024 alert on the job page says fraudsters use the names of real Canadian companies for crypto “boosting” tasks.
- You must install their software or app to do simple tasks. The boosting variation starts with software the fraudsters created, then “orders” or “tasks.”
- You are asked to recruit other people to earn more. The job page says this is pyramid selling and that promoting a pyramid-selling scheme is a criminal offence in Canada.
- The “job” is to receive money and forward it. The financial-agent variation calls this being a money mule. The page says you could be arrested for money laundering. The payment bulletin says the same about e-transfers you are told to pass on.
- Someone later offers to recover the loss, or claims to be the Anti-Fraud Centre and asks for money. The 2025 top-10 page lists recovery-pitch fraud at $25.9 million in reported losses. The centre’s own home page says fraudsters impersonate the CAFC and that the centre does not contact individuals to request money.
Illustrative example
This sketch shows the money flow the CAFC describes. It is not a typical loss, a case file, or a figure from the 2025 table.
Illustrative example. Suppose a message offers car-wrap work and a cheque arrives. The CAFC’s car-wrap variation says fraudsters pitch earnings of $300 to $500 per week, then send a cheque and tell you to deposit it, withdraw some of the funds, and send money to a “graphics company.” Suppose, as an assumption only, the cheque is $2,400 and you are told to forward $1,900. If the cheque is counterfeit and returns, the payment bulletin says you are responsible to repay the full amount. In the sketch, the $1,900 has left your account and the $2,400 deposit does not stay. The $300 to $500 pitch is the fraudster’s claim on the CAFC page, not a wage.
How do legitimate side hustles in Canada differ from these offers?
Legitimate side hustles in Canada pay you for work you have done. They do not ask you to fund the payout. A marketplace sale is paid by the buyer at the price you agreed, in person when you can, which is the CAFC’s advice on its merchandise habits page. A mystery-shop company pays after the report. An odd-job app pays for a completed task without an “unlock” deposit.
| What you see | Scam pattern on the CAFC pages | Ordinary side hustle |
|---|---|---|
| Who contacts whom | Unsolicited text, WhatsApp, or email | You apply on the company’s own site |
| Money direction | You pay, forward, or refund | They pay you after the work |
| Cheque or gift card | Deposit first, or buy cards and send codes | Not how you get hired |
| Balance on a screen | Visible, not withdrawable | A payout to your account |
Odd-job apps and mystery shopping are the legitimate cousins of the scripts above. Read the scam section of the mystery-shopping guide before you send ID or a void cheque. Selling a used item is covered in is selling on Kijiji taxable, which is a tax question, not a reason to ship goods against a fake payment.
What should you do if you already sent money in Canada?
If you already sent money in Canada, stop contact, tell your bank or card issuer, and report the fraud. The CAFC job page says anyone who suspects they have been targeted should report it to local police and to the Report Cybercrime and Fraud website, or by phone at 1-888-495-8501. The payment bulletin adds that if you were not a victim, you can still report the attempt to the centre.
Do not send a further “fee” to unlock a refund. Do not give remote access to someone who says they are recovering the funds. The centre’s impersonation alert says the CAFC does not contact people to request money.
A small real payment you received before the scam turned is not a reason to keep depositing. If you were paid for actual work and you are unsure what belongs on a tax return, that is a separate question in how to report side hustle income. Money you lost to a fraud is not income. This page does not tell you how to claim a loss.
Which guides sit next to side hustle scams in Canada?
The task script is task scams in Canada. Cheques, overpayments, and fake e-transfers are fake cheque and overpayment scams. Marketplace selling habits are in Facebook Marketplace flipping and reselling. Tax questions that are easy to mix up with “free money” offers are in the side hustle tax FAQ. Company pages for real shopper signups are mystery shopping companies. A cheque attached to a “focus group” email is the same script as the shopper version, covered in paid focus groups.
Paying upfront for a promised vending route or ATM sites is the caution in vending machines and white-label ATMs. A pallet offer with no manifest is the warning in liquidation pallets. The reporting order, including police non-emergency and the Competition Bureau, is how to report a side hustle scam. Course and done-for-you pitches are course funnel red flags.
What are the common questions?
Are side hustle task offers that ask for an unlock fee real jobs in Canada?
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre lists upfront deposits, upgrade fees, and unlock payments as warning signs of job fraud. A balance you can see but cannot withdraw is another sign on that page. Treat the offer as fraud and do not send money.
How much did Canadians report losing to job fraud in 2025?
The CAFC top-10 frauds page for 2025 lists job fraud at 2,148 reports, 1,726 victims, and $50.6 million in reported losses. The same page says the centre received over 112,000 fraud reports involving more than $704 million. The 2022 annual report says only 5 to 10 percent of fraud is reported to the centre. These are reported figures, not a complete count.
Where do I report a side hustle scam in Canada?
The CAFC says to report to local police and to the Report Cybercrime and Fraud website, or by phone at 1-888-495-8501. Tell your bank if money already moved. The centre does not contact you to ask for money to recover a loss.
Is a car-wrap offer that pays $300 to $500 a week a real side hustle?
The CAFC job page describes that pay pitch as part of a car-wrap fraud: an unsolicited message, a cheque, and instructions to send money to a graphics company. The cheque is counterfeit and you are responsible for funds withdrawn. The dollar range is the fraudster's claim, not a wage.
What if the message uses a real Canadian company's name?
The CAFC's May 30, 2024 alert says fraudsters use the names of real companies for freelance boosting tasks. Check the company's own website and phone number. Do not rely on the name in the message or on a webmail address.
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.
- Job scams — Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
- Top 10 frauds in 2025 — Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
- Merchandise scams — Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
- Check twice, pay once: starting new habits to avoid merchandise fraud — Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
- Bulletin: Payment methods — Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
- CAFC 2022 Annual Report — Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
- Protecting yourself online — Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre