Reviewed October 9, 2026
An unexpected deposit, tax or delivery message needs a check through the real sender or institution. Answer two questions for verification steps and reporting routes. A link can appear in a genuine Interac notification, so this tool cannot authenticate a text from the request alone. Free, anonymous, nothing to install.
A link or a familiar sender name cannot settle whether a text is genuine. Interac describes deposit links for people without Autodeposit. Verify an unexpected transfer with the sender and your bank through known channels before acting. CRA refund links and demands for another payment to release money require a different check; use each institution's actual guidance.
Correction, October 9, 2026: This page wrongly treated Interac deposit links as proof of fraud and every sent transfer as irreversible. Genuine non-Autodeposit notices may contain links; cancellation may be available before deposit through the sender's bank. We also narrowed blanket bank and CRA contact rules and clarified that real Canada Post customs charges and opted-in notices exist. The tool now gives verification steps without authenticating a message from these answers.
Fake deposit notices can lead to a copied banking page. Genuine notices can also direct recipients without Autodeposit to accept a transfer. Interac's FAQ describes that real process. A familiar logo, an expected payment or a displayed sender address is not enough to authenticate the message.
Reach the sender through a contact you already know, and consult your bank through its genuine app or published support route if uncertain. If you entered credentials, shared a sign-in code or sent money, contact the bank immediately. The questions in this tool help select those steps; they cannot establish that the text is safe.
The sender may be able to cancel an undeposited transfer through the bank's process. A deposited transfer cannot simply be cancelled, but suspected fraud still needs investigation and any available dispute. See the differences between fake notices, interception and money requests. For police reporting and eligible bank-complaint escalation, see where to report a scam in Canada.
A link alone does not prove fraud. Interac describes genuine email or text deposit links for recipients who do not use Autodeposit. An unexpected notification still needs verification: contact the sender through a known channel and consult your bank through its genuine app or published support details. With Autodeposit, the deposit does not require you to answer a security question. A logo or displayed sender address is not proof that a message is genuine.
The CRA does not send refund or benefit links by text or pay refunds by e-Transfer. It does send sign-in codes when you have enrolled in telephone multi-factor authentication. A genuine code is not an instruction to send it to a caller. Check a purported tax or refund message by opening your CRA account independently or using the CRA's published contact details. A message asking you to resolve a refund through a banking link is a scam pattern.
Canada Post warns that unsolicited parcel-release payment texts are fraudulent, and says it does not text requests for card details, account logins or delivery payments. This does not mean all customs charges are fake: genuine duty and taxes can be owed, and people who signed up for notifications can receive notices about them. Open canadapost.ca/track or the genuine app yourself. Eligible charges can be paid there, at delivery or at the post office. Do not use a doubtful message's payment link.
7726 (it spells SPAM on a keypad) is a free shortcode the major Canadian carriers support for reporting suspected scam texts. Forwarding a smishing message to it helps your provider identify the campaign and block the sender. It doesn't open a case on its own — for that, report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre — but it's the fastest single action that helps stop the same text reaching other people, and it costs nothing.
Contact your bank immediately through its genuine app or published fraud number. Say what you entered or approved. The sender may be able to cancel a transfer before deposit, subject to the bank's process; Interac says a deposited transfer cannot be cancelled. Ask about account protection and any applicable dispute. Change exposed credentials, preserve evidence and report fraud to local police and the CAFC. Refunds are not guaranteed. If you dispute the bank's response, follow its complaint process and the eligible OBSI escalation route.
No. It gives verification guidance from a few answers; it does not read or authenticate the message itself. Genuine Interac notifications can contain deposit links, and expected messages can still be impersonated. Verify through the real sender or institution before acting. You can submit a free confidential case review for someone to read a specific message, but urgent account or payment reporting should go to the affected institution first.
Every fact in this tool comes from these Canadian authorities. Click any to verify.