Got scammed by an Interac e-Transfer?

Most Interac e-Transfer scams fall into two buckets: phishing (you click a fake link and the scammer drains your account, or intercepts a transfer) and social engineering (you knowingly send money to someone who turns out to be a scammer — fake CRA, romance fraud, fake job, fake rental). The two are treated very differently by banks and Interac.

If you were phished or your account was accessed

1. Call your bank's fraud line immediately. Speed matters. The faster the bank locks the account, the better the chance of recovery.
2. Change your online banking password, then change the password on the email account linked to your banking.
3. Enable two-factor authentication on both your bank and your email.
4. Ask your bank to file a fraud claim. Reimbursement for Interac e-Transfer fraud is handled bank by bank under your client agreement — not by a single Interac-administered program. Banks may reimburse interception fraud (where someone other than you intercepts the transfer) when the incident is found to be beyond your reasonable control.
5. Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (online, or 1-888-495-8501) and your local police (you'll need a report number for some claims). Forward any phishing email to phishing@interac.ca.

If you knowingly sent money to a scammer

This is harder. Banks generally consider transfers you authorized to be your responsibility, even if you were deceived. That said, you should still:

1. Call your bank's fraud line. They may still attempt a reclaim if the receiving bank cooperates.
2. Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (online, or 1-888-495-8501).
3. File a local police report.
4. If the scammer impersonated a known business, alert that business so they can warn other customers.

What banks typically refund vs. don't refund

Often refunded

• Phishing where the scammer accessed your bank without your authorization.
• Funds intercepted via security-question guessing on a non-Autodeposit recipient.
• Account takeover by malware.

Rarely refunded

• Romance scams.
• Investment scams ("crypto opportunity," "guaranteed returns").
• Job scams ("send us a deposit for equipment").
• Rental scams (paying first/last month for a unit that doesn't exist).
• Fake CRA, "police," or "Service Canada" scams demanding payment by e-Transfer.

The Canada Revenue Agency does not use Interac e-Transfer to send or receive payments directly. Any e-Transfer claiming to be from the CRA is a scam. (Some third-party services like PaySimply let you pay the CRA through Interac e-Transfer, but the CRA itself never sends or receives transfers directly.)

Common red flags going forward

• An e-Transfer notification you weren't expecting. Real notifications do include a deposit link, so don't use it: confirm with the sender another way, check your banking app directly, and forward anything suspicious to phishing@interac.ca.
• Anyone insisting on payment by e-Transfer specifically because "it's faster" or "wires don't work."
• Any government, utility, or law-enforcement agency demanding payment by e-Transfer — none of them do this.
• Pressure to act fast, secrecy, or threats.

Coming: consent rules for e-Transfers

In June 2026 the federal government proposed regulations that would require banks to get your express consent before turning on Interac e-Transfers, wires, and international money transfers on personal accounts, and to let you switch them off yourself. The proposed start date is July 1, 2027; the rules aren't final yet.

Related guides

• How to spot fake Interac e-Transfer emails (2026 scam guide)
• Sent to the wrong person?
• Can an e-Transfer be reversed?
• How to file an Interac complaint in Canada