{"id":937984,"date":"2026-10-18T20:05:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T20:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/937984\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T20:05:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T20:05:19","slug":"scammer-maxes-out-35k-line-of-credit-opened-in-brampton-mans-name-at-a-bank-branch-hes-never-visited","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/937984\/","title":{"rendered":"Scammer maxes out $35K line of credit opened in Brampton man’s name at a bank branch he’s never visited"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Credit<\/a> Credit card theft <\/p>\n

Manshapinder Singh of Brampton, ON, logged in to his online banking last November and found a $35,000 line of credit had been added to his account. He never applied for it, and someone had already maxed it out. <\/p>\n

“I was shocked because the whole line of credit was used,” Singh told CTV News<\/a>. Someone was able to open the Scotiabank credit line, request a physical client card and pick it up at a branch in Milton, ON. Singh said he has never visited that location. <\/p>\n

After four months of trying to resolve it himself to no avail, Singh eventually contacted CTV News for help. Once the news outlet reached out to the bank, the $35,000 was fully refunded. <\/p>\n

Singh’s case isn’t an isolated event, as fraud tied to new credit applications is climbing in Canada. Here’s how it happens, how you can avoid it and what to do if you fall victim. <\/p>\n

Don’t Miss How can a scammer open credit in your name? <\/p>\n

Equifax Canada, one of the country’s two major credit bureaus, regularly tracks this kind of fraud, since such fraud can negatively impact your credit score. It reports that credit card application fraud reached a rate of 0.91%<\/a> in the second quarter of 2026, an 8% increase year-over-year, and was driven primarily by third-party identity theft. Put another way, that works out to roughly nine in every 1,000 applications submitted. <\/p>\n

“It’s primarily driven by identity theft,” Carl Davies, head of fraud and identity at Equifax Canada, told CTV News. He notes that Canadians are handing over personal details by clicking links, scanning QR codes and responding to texts they shouldn’t; bad actors then use that information to fraudulently apply for credit in someone else’s name. <\/p>\n

While this can happen to anyone, some Canadians are affected more than others. According to Equifax’s findings, scammers disproportionately target<\/a> Canadians aged 56 to 65. <\/p>\n

Read More: How financially stable am I? You’re doing better than most if you check off just 1 of these 3 boxes<\/a> <\/p>\n

Why might you miss it? <\/p>\n

Most fraud alerts are built around unusual spending on cards you already carry. A brand-new account is a little different \u2014 there’s no spending history for anything to look unusual against, and it may not prompt any notifications from your financial institution. Singh caught the fraud only because he had checked his balances personally. <\/p>\n

Story Continues <\/p>\n

When you finally notice, the credit may already be maxed out, and it can then take months of calls and paperwork to prove the debt isn’t yours. <\/p>\n

Should you freeze your credit? <\/p>\n

Ontarians have a powerful new tool at their disposal as of July 1 \u2014 they can place a free Credit Lock<\/a>, also called a credit freeze, on their Equifax report. While it’s in place, the company is legally barred from sharing their credit information with lenders considering any new credit product. The lock also doesn’t affect their credit score. Equifax previously activated the same option for Quebec residents in 2023. <\/p>\n

Under Ontario’s regulation<\/a>, credit bureaus must place a freeze within two business days of an online request or five business days of a phone request. The nation’s other major credit bureau, TransUnion, has until July 1, 2027, to roll out the credit freeze. <\/p>\n

There are some trade-offs to be mindful of. You’ll need to lift the freeze<\/a> before applying for new credit, or your application may be declined. Additionally, a freeze may not stop every scenario, such as credit products you already have being used fraudulently \u2014 e.g., someone obtaining your credit card information to buy a plane ticket. <\/p>\n

If you live outside Ontario and Quebec, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC)<\/a> has relevant and useful guidance. It recommends asking both Equifax and TransUnion to place a fraud alert on your file, which alerts lenders to contact you to confirm your identity before approving any credit application. <\/p>\n

What if your bank says you owe the money? <\/p>\n

Start by filing a formal complaint through your financial institution’s internal process, keeping a detailed written record of every call. Banks must deal with customer complaints within 56 days. <\/p>\n

If your issue isn’t resolved by then, or you’re unhappy with the outcome, you can ask the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) to review it.<\/a> It’s an independent organization and has been the sole external complaints body for all federally regulated banks since Nov. 1, 2024. <\/p>\n

Community Legal Education Ontario advises the public to file a police report<\/a> and keep a record to share with your bank and the credit bureaus. It also recommends reporting the fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) online or at 1-888-495-8501. <\/p>\n

What to do now <\/p>\n

Check your online banking regularly for accounts or products you didn’t open <\/p>\n

Pull your Equifax and TransUnion reports periodically to look for unfamiliar accounts or credit inquiries <\/p>\n

If you live in Ontario or Quebec, place a free freeze with both bureaus (in Ontario, TransUnion has until July 2027 to offer it) <\/p>\n

If you live elsewhere, ask both bureaus to add a fraud alert to your file <\/p>\n

Don’t click links or scan QR codes that come from unsolicited texts <\/p>\n

What To Read Next <\/p>\n

The most expensive financial mistakes are often the ones you don’t see coming. Join 19,000+ Canadians who get the money moves, risks and opportunities shaping their finances \u2014 delivered free each week. Subscribe now.<\/a> <\/p>\n

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Credit card theft Manshapinder Singh of Brampton, ON, logged in to his online banking last November and found…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":937985,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194339],"tags":[15261,51759,45,161,49,48,46,133,1828,1829,74172,1830,1831,39783,8123,131,2519,968,1705,2511,1832,1833,176,74173,3322,74174],"class_list":["post-937984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brampton","tag-401k","tag-brampton","tag-business","tag-business-news","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-economy","tag-finance","tag-financial-information","tag-investing","tag-investment-tools","tag-investor","tag-market-news","tag-mortgage","tag-mutual-funds","tag-personal-finance","tag-quote","tag-real-estate","tag-retirement","tag-stock","tag-stock-research","tag-stock-valuation","tag-stocks","tag-suze-orman","tag-tax","tag-track-portfolio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=937984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/937984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/937985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=937984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=937984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=937984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}