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How to Protect Yourself from Fraud

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recognizing-fraud
what-to-do-if-you-suspect-fraud
current-consumer-alerts
protect-yourself

Intact’s Privacy Promise

Intact Insurance and its affiliates in the Intact Financial Corporation group of companies is committed to protecting your privacy. We will not collect, use or disclose your personal information except as stated in our Privacy Promise.

Please visit our Privacy Promise page for more details on how we collect information from you.

Recognizing fraud

Fraud can take many forms, but one of the most common forms is insurance fraud. Some common examples of insurance fraud include the following:

  • Individuals who fabricate insurance claims;
  • Auto repair shops who exaggerate the cost of claims;
  • Medical clinics that ask claimants to sign blank accident benefit forms and invoice insurers for services never provided;
  • Health care clinics that offer unnecessary treatments; and/or
  • Drivers who intentionally cause collisions.

There are also many scams that are targeting Canadians, and new ones are being invented every day. Scams can come in different forms – text messages, emails, telephone calls and more. We encourage you to check the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website for a list of common scams.

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What to do if you suspect fraud

Please contact your broker immediately or email us at FraudTips@intact.net:

  • If you suspect you have been a victim of fraud or witnessed any potential fraud
  • If you have questions regarding the authenticity of any correspondence sent by Intact Insurance
  • If you have questions regarding the authenticity of any promotions, contests or giveaways solicited over the phone in the name of Intact Insurance
  • If you have received a questionable request for personal information, like bank account details, over the phone

Consumers may wish to verify the status of a brokerage and/or identity of a broker via the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario’s directory

In addition, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) issues fraud alerts to inform consumers about insurance scams. Fake policies and non-existent insurance companies can put you and your insured property at risk. If you suspect fraud, you can also contact the IBC TIPS Line at 1-877-IBC-TIPS or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501. Click here for more information.

Below are some recent consumer alerts that can help you spot scammers.

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Current consumer alerts

Job Applications

Intact has been made aware of fraudulent online job postings on popular websites including job recruiting websites. These postings typically offer candidates the opportunity to work from home doing online data entry. The Human resources person would contact the candidate via email asking them to start a conversation on Google Hangouts with a hiring manager.

Once the interview is complete, and the candidate is deemed successful, they are asked to deposit a cheque from the fraudulent company and provide a deposit slip containing personal banking information.

Intact does not engage in these hiring practices. Intact does not send official correspondence through Gmail accounts and does not send cheques to prospective employees after the fact asking for personal banking information.

If you are unsure if the job application is authentic, always check against Intact’s Career website. The jobs will be posted there as well.

If you have received such correspondence and/or cheque, please report it to your local police agency and send a copy of your police report to Intact at FraudTips@intact.net.

Telemarketers

We would like to warn consumers about a telemarketer scam involving the use of phone numbers associated with Intact Insurance. There have been reports of people receiving calls from various telemarketers that ‘spoof’ internal, unpublished Intact phone numbers as their caller ID.

Typically, the callers employ various tactics to demand money and banking information. Most recently, one such telemarketer offered a fraudulent trip giveaway as a way of luring someone into providing sensitive banking information.

While these phone numbers are associated with Intact and returned calls are connected to Intact’s Auto Attendant, these calls do not originate from Intact Insurance.

Intact Insurance never contacts customers to request banking information over the phone. Additionally, Intact promotions would not be conducted in this manner and are never unsolicited.

Mail Fraud

Intact would like to alert the public to a potential mail scam using Intact’s mailing address. Consumers have reported receiving letters with the return address on the envelope indicating Intact’s Toronto office. Typically, there are no other identifiers.

The correspondence does not list Intact Insurance by name and is not on official letterhead or stationery. In some cases, the correspondence refers to "Life Insurance Unclaimed Fixed Deposits", and "Claim Department".

Please note, these letters are not from Intact Insurance.

Intact would not send correspondence in this manner. Official correspondence from Intact would clearly indicate it was from Intact, which includes Intact branding and logos.

If you have questions regarding the authenticity of any correspondence sent by Intact Insurance, please contact your broker or email: FraudTips@intact.net.

Fraudulent pink slips bearing Intact Insurance’s name

It has come to our attention that fake auto insurance pink slips bearing Intact Insurance’s name and that of a fictitious brokerage Noonan and Noonan Insurance Brokers are being sold to consumers in Ontario.

While the address of Intact Insurance’s office printed on the pink slip is correct, no such brokerage exists in Canada and the slips are fraudulent.

The modus operandi of the fraudster has been to approach customers online, followed by a visit to their homes to sell insurance. Intact Insurance does not go door-to-door to sell insurance, collect premiums or deliver pink slips. Pink slips are mailed to Intact Insurance policyholders via Canada Post.

If in doubt, consumers may wish to verify the status of a brokerage and/or identity of a broker via the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario’s directory. If you have been issued a fraudulent pink slip as described above, please contact your local police.

Inheritance scam involving use of Intact Insurance’s logo or address

We would like to warn consumers about an inheritance scam involving the use of Intact Insurance’s name and logo or our Toronto office address.

Letters designed to look like they have come from a bank but delivered in pre-paid envelopes bearing the Intact Insurance logo or Intact Insurance's Toronto office address are being circulated. The letters typically present recipients with the opportunity to become the beneficiary of a large amount of inheritance funds.

These letters did not originate from Intact Insurance and are part of an inheritance scam. If you receive correspondence about an inheritance-related matter that is delivered in envelope as described above, you should report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Mystery shopper

It has come to Intact’s attention that fraudulent letters and cheques bearing the name and logo of Canadian financial institutions are being sent to consumers as part of a mystery shopper assignment.

The scam typically involves asking the recipient to deposit a cheque, keep $400 in their account as payment and wire a sum of money to another person’s account. However, the cheque will not clear and the recipient will not be able to recover the sum transferred.

Please note that Intact does not send out letters of such nature or cheques to consumers for such programs.

If you have received such a letter and cheque, please report it to your local police agency and send a copy of your police report to Intact at FraudTips@intact.net.

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Protect yourself

If you make payments to Intact online, here are a few tips to bear in mind:

  • Protect your credit cards and your Personal Identification Number (PIN). Do not share your PIN with anyone.
  • Do not provide your credit card number over the telephone unless you initiated the call yourself or have validated who you’re talking to within the company.
  • Check your account statements as soon as they arrive to ensure all transactions and charges are correct. Report any discrepancies

Always adopt good online practices such as clearing your browser history and be cautious. Check out any caller by requesting written information, a call back number and references.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre offers tips on how you can protect yourself.

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