Phishing and Email Safety
When interacting with any organization or person online, including the PRC, it’s important to keep cyber security and fraud prevention in mind. Taking the following precautions can help protect your personal and financial information.
Protect yourself online
Be alert to common scam tactics
Fraudsters often attempt to impersonate trusted organizations to gain access to personal or financial information. These scams may include:
- messages or emails that appear to come from the organization but are fraudulent
- use of official-looking logos or branding copied from a website
- email addresses that are very similar to legitimate ones but include slight differences
Always take a moment to verify the source before responding to any unexpected communication.
Protecting Your Information
Remember:
- there is no cost to submit a complaint to the PRC
- the PRC will never ask for payment information, your Social Insurance Number, or remote access to your computer
- the PRC does not communicate via text message; do not interact with any text messages claiming to be from the PRC
- the PRC will not pressure you to act urgently
How to Verify Communication
If you have submitted a complaint online, you can securely log in to check its status.
If you are unsure whether a message claiming to be from the PRC is legitimate, please contact us directly:
- Email: PRCcomplaints@gov.ab.ca
- Phone: 780-644-0306
- Toll-free: 1-866-644-0306
Report Suspicious Activity
If you encounter or are aware of potential scams claiming to involve the PRC, we encourage you to contact us using the information above. Reporting helps protect others and allows us to take appropriate action.
Learn More About Fraud Prevention
For additional information on how to recognize and protect yourself from fraud, or to report scams, please visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm
