Watch For These Frauds | Sun Life Canada
We encourage you to take a few minutes to review the following fraud alerts (or scams). If you are approached in a similar manner, or suspect abuse of the Sun Life name, logo or a variation of either, contact us.
Remember, Fraudsters will promise you anything to get your personal information or your money. You should always check and confirm you are dealing with a legitimate Sun Life Representative before you send your money or share your financial information.
There are many more examples that fraudsters rely on to reach their end goal.
To see more examples of other common frauds, please visit applicable sites such as Competition Bureau, Better Business Bureau, or Consumer Protection Agencies located in your jurisdiction where you reside.
Please visit http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/ and refer to The Little Black Book of Scams for other common frauds you may come across globally.
If you have suffered a financial loss as a result of fraud, contact your local police. View a list of agencies that may be able to assist you.
Sun Life investigates all reports of our brand, logo or corporate name being used for fraudulent activities. When we are aware of a scam, we will provide a description and preventive measures here.
Common fraud examples
Consumer's reward program scams - Lottery, Sweepstake
Scam artists can misuse our name "Sun Life Financial Services" to commit various types of advance fee fraud on unsuspecting residents globally, wherever Sun Life does business. Various correspondences citing “Consumer's Reward Program" can be sent to recipients, advising them they have won a lottery or a sweepstake. These letters are not from Sun Life or any of its business entities. Do not cash the cheque and do not call the number on the letter.
Advance fee scams - Loan
This scam promises you a loan if you send them an up-front fee, which may range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. The fee must be wired before the loan proceeds will be provided. Once you send your money, you never receive the loan amount and there is no way to get your money back. Legitimate loan companies will not take any fees off the original loan amount. In most jurisdictions, it is illegal for a company to request an up front fee from their Clients prior to obtaining a loan.
Advance fee scams – Forged or Stolen Cheque
This scam involves unauthorized individuals targeting people who have placed ads in websites or magazines to sell high value items such as vehicles and property. The scam artist, using an assumed name, calls the seller and say they are calling from a Sun Life office. They offer to overpay for the item. The seller is sent a cheque for more than the purchase amount and is asked to forward the excess amount to an offshore location. The buyer's cheque is eventually declined, and the seller is out of funds.
Another variation of this scam involves a person who is owed money for goods sold through classified ads or on the Internet. The seller is sent a cheque for more than the amount of purchase and is asked to wire transfer the difference back to the purchaser. The cheque may be personal, a cashier’s cheque or appear to come from a company. The scammers use a variety of excuses to explain the overpayment. If you receive a cheque from Sun Life that you were not expecting, do not cash it without contacting us first.
You should always be suspicious of anyone wanting to pay you more than the agreed selling price and expecting you to reimburse the difference. Do not cash the cheque and do not call the number on the letter.
Telemarketing scams
Telemarketing "operators" can pose as Sun Life representatives. The caller will typically try to get you to reveal your personal information over the phone or get you to meet with a person, at your home or in a public place. They want you to disclose personal information such as your credit card numbers, your social insurance number or your Sun Life insurance policy number, if they discover you have one.
If someone contacts you saying they are calling from Sun Life (or a variation of our name), be on guard. Do not respond to unsolicited requests for your personal information over the phone or by Internet. Sun Life keeps your policy and personal information in strictest confidence and does not disclose this information to telemarketers.
Sun Life does not call or email customers requesting personal information such as passwords, bank account information or a credit card number, unless you initiate the inquiry and we are responding to you. Review Sun Life's privacy commitment for more information.
Boiler room Investment scams – Share Registration/Sales, Escrow Accounts
The scam artists can email you, posing as Sun Life or any of its Customer Service representatives. They target potential investors by using tactics such as sending research reports, calling and mailing brochures to persuade you to buy worthless shares. They are typically very persistent and extremely persuasive. Investors who fall victim by purchasing shares, paying for registration/purchase shares fees and/or taxes, are out of pocket because the shares are worthless and the boiler room then vanishes.
Job scams
Sun Life is aware of ongoing attempts by unscrupulous individuals posing as Sun Life employees, who falsely offer jobs at Sun Life. The false jobs are advertised through various means, including newspapers, magazines, fake websites, and legitimate recruitment websites. Some red flags to watch for include: poor spelling and grammar in the job advertisement; telephone numbers and email addresses not attributable to Sun Life; interviews using instant messenger and/or text; requests for personal and financial information; upfront fees.
We urge job applicants to carefully check and confirm the credentials of any people that represent themselves as being associated with Sun Life before divulging any personal and/or financial information. If in doubt, contact us.
What to do if you suspect fraud
Contact us if you suspect fraud, believe you have been a target of a scam and/or receive a suspicious email or telephone call from someone that you suspect to be falsely representing Sun Life or if you have shared personal information with a scammer.