Interac e-Transfer Scams in Canada: How to Spot Fake Payments and Protect Yourself

Interac e-Transfer is one of the most popular ways Canadians send money to each other, processing about 1.6 billion transactions in 2025. (If you are wondering how much you can send, see our complete guide to e-Transfer limits by bank.) That kind of volume makes it a prime target for scammers.

If you are a small business owner who gets paid by e-Transfer, you need to know how to tell a real payment from a fake one. A single mistake can cost you thousands of dollars or give a fraudster access to your bank account. And once your income approaches the $30,000 GST/HST threshold, the stakes get even higher.

Here is a breakdown of the most common Interac e-Transfer scams in Canada, how they work, and how to protect yourself.

How Interac e-Transfer Scams Work

Most Interac scams follow one of two patterns:

1. Phishing: You receive a fake email or text that looks like an Interac notification. It includes a link that takes you to a site designed to steal your banking credentials.
2. Social engineering: A scammer manipulates you into sending real money. They might pose as a buyer, a seller, or even a government agency. By the time you realize something is wrong, the money is gone.

In both cases, the scammer is counting on the fact that e-Transfers feel instant and familiar. You have probably accepted hundreds of them without thinking twice. That is exactly what they are exploiting.

Fake Payment Notification Emails

This is the most common Interac scam. You receive an email that looks exactly like a real Interac e-Transfer notification. It says someone has sent you money and includes a link to deposit it.

The link takes you to a page that looks like your bank's login screen. When you enter your credentials, the scammer captures them and uses them to access your real bank account.

What the fake email looks like

Modern phishing emails are disturbingly convincing. They copy Interac's branding, colours, and layout almost perfectly. But there are often telltale signs to watch for:

• The sender address is not notify@payments.interac.ca. It might be something like notify@payments-interac.com or interac-notify@gmail.com.
• The email asks you to click a link and enter your banking credentials. Real Interac notifications link to etransfer.interac.ca, where you pick your bank, and show the sender's full name. If you have Autodeposit enabled, you should not need to click anything at all — and the safest habit is to open your banking app directly instead of following any email link.
• Small formatting errors: unusual spacing, or incorrect currency formatting like a dollar sign placed after the amount.
• A sense of urgency, like "deposit within 24 hours or the transfer will expire."

Facebook Marketplace Interac Scams

Online marketplace fraud is one of the most common scams reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and Facebook Marketplace is where many e-Transfer versions of it play out. It targets both buyers and sellers, and it is surprisingly effective.

The seller scam (targeting buyers)

A scammer posts an item for sale, usually something in demand and priced attractively. They ask for payment by e-Transfer before you can pick up the item. Once you send the money, they disappear. The item never existed, or they never intended to hand it over.

The buyer scam (targeting sellers)

This version is more dangerous. Here is how it works:

1. A "buyer" contacts you about an item you are selling. They seem eager and offer to send an e-Transfer right away.
2. You receive an email that looks like an Interac e-Transfer notification.
3. You click the deposit link. It takes you to a page that looks exactly like your bank's login screen.
4. You enter your banking credentials. The page shows a loading spinner.
5. On the other end, a real person is using your credentials to log into your bank account in real time.

The danger is how convincing it looks: it appears to be an ordinary e-Transfer, but it is actually a request for money — and approving it gives the scammer access to move funds out of your account.

How to stay safe on Marketplace

• Meet in person and confirm payment has arrived in your actual bank account before handing over the item.
• Never click deposit links from emails. Open your banking app directly to check if the money is there.
• Be suspicious of buyers who are in a rush, overly agreeable, or unwilling to meet in person.
• Use Interac Autodeposit so payments go straight into your account without any link clicking required.

CRA Impersonation Scams

You receive a text message or email claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency. It says the CRA is sending you a refund, a benefit payment, or a tax credit by Interac e-Transfer. All you need to do is click the link to deposit it.

The message might include the Government of Canada logo, a convincing reference number, and even an amount that seems plausible during tax season.

The reality: the CRA does not use Interac e-Transfer. Period.

The Canada Revenue Agency sends payments exclusively by cheque or direct deposit. They will never send you money by e-Transfer, and they will never ask you to click a link in a text message to receive funds.

If you receive a message like this, it is a scam. Do not click the link. Do not reply. Forward it to phishing@interac.ca and report it to the CRA's scam reporting page.

Overpayment and Refund Scams

This scam is especially common for small business owners and freelancers. A client or buyer sends you more money than they owe, then asks you to send back the difference.

For example:

• You invoice a client for $1,500. They "accidentally" send you $3,000.
• They ask you to e-Transfer the extra $1,500 back.
• You send the money. Days later, the original $3,000 is clawed back by the sender's bank because it was made from a compromised account.
• You are out $1,500.

The same pattern shows up with people who send you an unexpected e-Transfer and then contact you saying it was a mistake, asking you to send it back. If you did not expect the payment, do not send money back. Contact your bank and let them handle the reversal through proper channels.

Gigadat and Payment Processor Scams

Gigadat is a legitimate Canadian payment processor that facilitates Interac e-Transfers on behalf of online merchants, including online gaming and casino sites. If you see an e-Transfer from Gigadat that you did not initiate, something has gone wrong.

Common scenarios:

• Unauthorized transaction: Someone may have used your banking information to make a deposit on a gambling site through Gigadat. Contact your bank immediately.
• Refund scam: You receive an unexpected Gigadat transfer and then get a message asking you to "return" the funds. Do not send money back. Let your bank investigate.
• Phishing: A fake email claims to be from Gigadat and asks you to verify your banking details. Gigadat does not have access to your bank account directly and would not contact you this way.

If you see a Gigadat transaction you do not recognize, contact your bank first, then file a complaint with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Interac e-Transfer Scams in 2026: What's New

The scams above have run for years. These are the patterns Canadian banks, regulators, and Interac have warned about most in 2026.

Fake notifications with attachments

New Brunswick's Financial and Consumer Services Commission (FCNB) warned years ago about phishing emails disguised as Interac e-Transfer notifications, and the pattern has never gone away. The twist: these messages include attachments that either harvest your banking credentials through a fake login page or install malware on your device.

The warning applies well beyond New Brunswick. The same templates are circulating across the country.

Interception fraud

Interception fraud does not rely on you clicking anything. The most common route in, according to the banks' own warnings, is a compromised email account: the scammer reads the e-Transfer notification meant for you and deposits the money first. The other route is guessing the security question on a pending transfer using information from a data breach, a social media post, or an earlier phishing round.

Major Canadian banks including CIBC, Simplii, and TD have published warnings about interception fraud as a growing trend. It is particularly damaging because:

• The real sender thinks they sent the money to the right person — they did not do anything wrong.
• The real recipient never sees the notification, because it was deposited before they tried to accept it.
• Once the money is gone, recovering it depends on how quickly the sender's bank can act.

The best defences: Autodeposit and a locked-down inbox.

With Interac Autodeposit enabled, incoming transfers land in your account automatically. No security question is ever used, which means there is nothing for a scammer to intercept. This closes off security-question guessing entirely. Pair it with a strong, unique password and two-factor authentication on the email account your notifications go to. Autodeposit is supported by every major Canadian bank — see our per-bank breakdowns for RBC, TD, and CIBC for setup specifics.

If Autodeposit is off (for example, because you run a business account that needs manual review), use a strong security question that is not guessable from public information: not a pet's name, not a city, not a birthday. Share the answer with the sender through a separate channel, like a phone call.

Fintech impersonation (Wealthsimple, Neo, KOHO)

The list of fintechs on the Interac network is growing. In September 2025, Interac opened e-Transfer to payment service providers registered under the federal Retail Payment Activities Act. In April 2026, Neo Financial joined as a Participant, the second Canadian fintech on the network after Wealthsimple (2023), and KOHO followed in May 2026. More are expected to plug in directly.

This is good for consumers. It is also a likely vector for scammers. New brand names on the network mean new phishing templates to design, and most Canadians have not yet built intuition for what a legitimate e-Transfer from these fintechs looks like. Be wary of:

• Emails claiming to be from a fintech-branded transfer service you do not recognize.
• Text messages claiming a fintech has sent you money and linking to a login page.
• Lookalike domains that are close to, but not exactly, the fintech's real domain — a single swapped character is enough.

The defence has not changed: if you have Autodeposit enabled, a real e-Transfer will land directly in your account. Otherwise, open your banking app and check for a pending transfer — never click a deposit link from the email itself. (For a head-to-head comparison of send fees across the big Canadian banks, see our 2026 e-Transfer fees guide.)

Prepaid card "return the funds" scams

In April 2026, REV Prepaid launched the first outbound Interac e-Transfer capability for Canadian corporate prepaid cards. Legitimate and useful — but it widens the surface area for a classic scam type we already see with conventional accounts: the "return the funds" reversal.

How the pattern typically plays out: you receive an unexpected e-Transfer. Shortly after, the "sender" contacts you claiming it was a mistake and asks you to return the money by e-Transfer. You return it. Then the original transaction is reversed or flagged by the sending institution, and you are out the amount you sent back. The newly-available prepaid card outbound capability makes this easier to spin up from disposable funding sources.

If you get an unexpected payment from a prepaid card or any source you do not recognize:

1. Do not send anything back by e-Transfer.
2. Contact your bank. They can reverse legitimate mistaken payments through proper channels.
3. Let the bank communicate with the sender's institution — never with the sender directly.

CRA refund texts

This is not new, but 2026 tax season brought another surge. The message claims the Canada Revenue Agency is issuing you a refund or benefit payment by Interac e-Transfer, with a link to "deposit" it.

The CRA does not use Interac e-Transfer. Every single CRA e-Transfer message is a scam. The agency pays by cheque or direct deposit, full stop. If you receive one, forward it to phishing@interac.ca and report it through the CRA's scam reporting page.

Proposed federal rules on e-Transfer consent

On June 27, 2026, the federal government published proposed regulations aimed at fraud through fast payment channels. As proposed, banks would need your express consent before turning on Interac e-Transfers, wires, and international transfers; you would be able to switch those features off yourself; and banks would report fraud-reimbursement data to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada. The proposed start date is July 1, 2027, and the details can still change before the rules are final.

Nothing changes for you today. If you run a business that depends on receiving e-Transfers, it is worth knowing that the feature may become opt-in once these rules take effect.

How to Spot a Fake Interac e-Transfer

Here is a quick checklist you can use every time you receive an e-Transfer notification:

The single most reliable check: open your banking app or online banking directly. If you have Autodeposit enabled, a real e-Transfer will appear in your account. If not, check for pending transfers. Either way, do not click any link in the email itself.

What to Do If You Have Been Scammed

If you think you have fallen for an Interac e-Transfer scam, act fast:

1. Contact your bank immediately. Call the fraud department (the number on the back of your debit card). Ask them to secure your account and investigate any unauthorized transactions. The faster you act, the better your chances of limiting the damage.
2. Change your passwords. If you entered your banking login on a fake site, change your password immediately. Also change it on any other accounts where you use the same password.
3. Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Call 1-888-495-8501 or file a report online at antifraudcentre.ca. This helps law enforcement track and investigate fraud patterns.
4. Forward the scam message to Interac. Send the suspicious email or screenshot to phishing@interac.ca so they can take action against the phishing infrastructure.
5. File a police report. Contact your local police. While individual cases can be hard to investigate, the report creates a record that supports broader fraud investigations.
6. Monitor your accounts. Watch your bank statements closely for the next several months. Scammers who have your credentials may attempt additional transactions later.

How to Protect Yourself

Enable Interac Autodeposit

This is one of the most effective steps you can take. When Autodeposit is enabled, incoming e-Transfers go directly into your bank account without any action from you. There is no link to click and no security question to answer, which significantly reduces your exposure to deposit-link phishing. Most major Canadian banks support it.

Never click deposit links in emails

Even if you do not have Autodeposit, get in the habit of going directly to your bank's website or app to check for pending transfers. Type the URL yourself or use your banking app. Never follow a link from an email or text message.

Verify before you ship or hand over goods

If you are selling something, confirm the money is actually in your account before releasing the item. Check your banking app, not just the email notification. A scammer will pressure you to hand over the goods quickly.

Be skeptical of overpayments

If someone sends you more than they owe, do not send the difference back by e-Transfer. Contact your bank and let them handle it. Legitimate overpayments can be reversed through the banking system.

Keep your banking app up to date

Banks regularly update their apps with improved security features. Keeping your app current helps you stay protected with the latest fraud detection measures.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if an Interac e-Transfer is real?

A real Interac e-Transfer notification comes from notify@payments.interac.ca. It will never ask you to enter your banking login through an email link. If you have Autodeposit enabled, the money goes straight into your account with no action required. When in doubt, log into your bank directly by typing the URL into your browser rather than clicking any link.

Does the CRA send money by Interac e-Transfer?

No. The Canada Revenue Agency does not use Interac e-Transfer to send or receive payments. Any text message or email claiming to be a CRA e-Transfer is a scam. The CRA sends payments by cheque or direct deposit only.

Can you get scammed receiving an Interac e-Transfer?

Yes, in two ways. First, scammers send fake notification emails that link to phishing sites designed to steal your banking credentials. Second, they can send real e-Transfers using stolen funds and then ask you to send money back. In both cases, always verify that money has actually appeared in your bank account before taking any action.

What should I do if I clicked a fake Interac e-Transfer link?

If you entered your banking credentials on a fake site, contact your bank immediately to freeze your account and change your passwords. File a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or online at antifraudcentre.ca. Forward the scam email to phishing@interac.ca and report it to your local police.

What is a Gigadat Interac e-Transfer?

Gigadat is a legitimate Canadian payment processor that facilitates Interac e-Transfers for online merchants, including gaming and casino sites. If you see an unexpected Gigadat transaction, it may be unauthorized. Contact your bank immediately and do not interact with any follow-up messages asking you to return funds.

Qu'est-ce qu'une arnaque de virement Interac?

Une arnaque de virement Interac est une fraude dans laquelle un escroc envoie un faux courriel ou message texte imitant une notification de virement Interac. Le lien vous dirige vers un faux site bancaire pour voler vos identifiants. Si vous recevez un message suspect, ne cliquez sur aucun lien. Connectez-vous directement à votre application bancaire pour vérifier si un virement est en attente.

Can an Interac e-Transfer be reversed after a scam?

It depends on how quickly you act. If you contact your bank before the scammer has moved the money, there is a chance the transfer can be reversed. Once the money has been withdrawn from the recipient's account, recovery becomes much harder. This is why speed matters: call your bank's fraud department the moment you suspect something is wrong.