Fraud prevention

Beware of fraud.

Some Class Members may be contacted by individuals claiming to represent the Settlement and asking for personal information.

If someone asks you to provide your information to them directly or gives you a different way to submit your information, it is likely fraudulent.  

Be aware and don’t share. 

If we need to verify the details on your Claim Form, we may contact you to request that you submit additional information to the Administrator either by phone at 1-833-852-0755 or by responding to the letter you receive.  

In some cases, the Administrator or a Claims Helper may reach out to you if our attempts to contact you were unsuccessful or if you requested support on your Claim Form.  

If you’re unsure whether the request for your personal information is legitimate, or to report fraudulent activity, contact the Administrator. 

You do not have to pay anyone to help you submit a Claim.  

Resources and supports are available to you at no cost. The Administrator is available by phone Monday to Friday, 8 am ET to 8 pm ET, excluding statutory holidays. This is your first point of contact if you have questions or need support. 

If you think you have been contacted by a scammer or received communication related to a scam, or if you have been offered support with your Claim for a fee, contact the Administrator to report it →

Please do not share any information or click on any suspicious links. 

Types of scams

There are many different types of scams to try to get your confidential personal information or to get money.

Scammers work through all communication channels, including email, phone, text or through online channels, such as a website or through social media. Some scams may offer to help you with your Claim for a fee or for a percentage of your compensation payment. 

 

Here are the most common types of scams: 

Impersonation scams involve a scammer contacting a Class Member by email, text message or phone call, and pretending to be the Administrator for the Settlement, Class Counsel or someone else working with the Administrator. Their goal is to get the Class Member to provide personal information or payment to help them process their Claim or receive compensation. They may pretend they received your contact information from the Administrator or through another party affiliated with the Settlement.

Phishing involves an email designed to gain access to confidential information, such as credit card numbers or login credentials, including passwords or access codes. These emails usually contain an urgent message that grabs your attention, encouraging you to take immediate action to provide personal information. An example is an email asking for banking information so that payment can be provided.

Phishing emails can look official, using the First Nations Child and Family Services and Jordan’s Principle Settlement logo and having a similar layout to emails sent out by the Administrator. Sometimes, even the email address can look very similar to the email addresses that the Settlement uses to communicate with those signed up to receive updates.

Phishing emails may also include a link directing the Class Member to a fake website or a phone number that requests confidential information.

Email accounts that we will use to communicate with you about the Settlement are:

  • Those ending with the domain, @FNChildClaims.ca to provide information about the Settlement to those who have signed up to receive updates or to provide Claims-related support at no cost
  • noreply@fnchildclaimsadmin.ca and no-reply@portal.fnchildclaims.ca to provide information related to your Claims Portal submission
  • Those ending with the domain, @Admin.FNChildClaims.ca and @Contact.FNChildClaims.ca
  • Generalinfo@Contact.FNChildClaims.ca used to reply to emails sent to the Administrator

All other email addresses ending with a different domain may be fraudulent. If you’re unsure whether an email is legitimate, please contact the Administrator.

Smishing is like phishing but involves a text message. The text message pretends to provide information about the Settlement, informs the recipient that information is needed for their Claim or that compensation is available. These messages often encourage the receiver to click a link to a website where they can provide their confidential information to resolve the issue.

In some cases, phishing and smishing messages may entice the receiver to click a link or open an attachment, resulting in malicious software (malware) being downloaded onto their computer or phone. Once downloaded, malware can steal confidential personal or financial information or damage files or hardware. Only click on links from sources you trust.

Fake websites are designed to look like the official Settlement website and provide false and misleading information. They may gain access to confidential information by encouraging Class Members to fill out a fake Claim Form to receive compensation.

Mail fraud are letters that may look like official documents sent by the Administrator, Class Counsel or someone else working with the Administrator. The letter may ask you to call a phone number to discuss your Claim or that information or payment is required to complete your Claim submission or to receive compensation.

Letters from the Administrator always include the toll-free phone number for the Administrator’s Contact Centre:  1-833-852-0755. You can call this number to make sure any mail you receive is legitimate.

Social media fraud can happen on many online platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc. Scammers can create fake profiles pretending to be an official channel for the Settlement or someone working with the Administrator or with the Settlement. They may send messages requesting confidential personal or financial information or send links that lead to fake websites.

Current scams

We continuously share information about the Settlement digitally through our website, social media channels (Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube) and email to those who have signed up to receive updates from us. From time to time, we also provide information through digital or print ads. In all cases, our communications will encourage you to visit our website (FNChildClaims.ca) contact the Administrator (1-833-852-0755 or Generalinfo@Contact.FNChildClaims.ca) for information about the Settlement.

If you submit a Claim, we will contact you by mail to inform you about your eligibility to receive compensation or if we need additional information to assess your Claim.

Unfortunately, there have been some instances where scammers have tried to gain confidential personal information from Class Members by pretending to represent the Settlement.

The following scams are those that have been brought to our attention. It is not a complete list of all active scams.

If you become aware of a scam or suspect fraudulent activity, please report it.

Reporting fraud will help protect Class Members and may prevent someone from becoming a victim of fraud.

A scammer calls saying they are a lawyer working with the Administrator to gather information on Class sizes and eligibility and that your name is on their list of individuals to contact. They request basic information, such as your full name and date of birth.

An ad on social media, such as Facebook, appearing to be from a government agency directs to a web page or questionnaire requesting personal information and details about the date a Child was removed from their home.

Tip: Do not disclose any information for your Claim online unless it’s requested via the Administrator’s official channels, such as the Settlement website, FNChildClaims.ca or the Claims Portal.

Report fraud

Reporting fraud will help protect Class Members and may prevent someone from becoming a victim of fraud.

When reporting fraud, please include as much detail as you can. This will help us investigate the scam and warn other Class Members about it.

Helpful details include:

  • How you received the communication (e.g., email, phone, text, website, social media)
  • What type of information they asked for (e.g., contact details, financial information, etc.)
  • The contact information of the sender and additional contact information provided in the communication (e.g., name, email address, phone number)
  • A copy of the suspicious message or a summary of the call conversation with the potential scammer

If you provided financial information to a scam, please report the incident to your financial institution (bank), your credit card company and your local police. You can also contact both of Canada’s national credit bureaus—Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada—to order a free credit report and ask that a fraud alert be put on your file.

To learn more about how to protect yourself from fraud visit
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre →

If you become aware of a scam or suspect fraudulent activity, please report it.