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Fraud Alert: Watch for Fraudsters Demanding Payments on OMVIC’s Behalf

November 27, 2020
Dealer Bulletins Selling

On November 27, 2020, OMVIC was alerted to a potential scam involving a registered Motor Vehicle Dealer. A caller, posing as an OMVIC representative, asked several questions about the dealer’s advertising and inventory, then advised the dealer of violations of the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act and demanded the dealer share their credit card details to pay a $2,500 “fine”.

OMVIC will never request your credit card number over the phone for fine payments.

Registrants fined by the Discipline Tribunal will receive a written copy of the Committee’s decision and penalty. While discipline fines may be paid by credit card, OMVIC will include a form to fill out and return to an OMVIC-identified employee.

Discipline decisions, fines and other penalties will never require payment through a phone conversation.

If you receive a call from OMVIC requesting your credit card number for fine payments over the phone, hang up and contact OMVIC’s Marketing Standards Team at [email protected].

Protect Yourself

There are ways you can protect yourself and your business against fraudsters and scammers:

  • Never agree to make discipline payments without first seeing paperwork:If you were the subject of a disciplinary matter, you will first receive a written copy of a Notice of Complaint. If you are fined by the Discipline Tribunal, you will receive a written copy of the Discipline Decision prior to any attempts to collect payment.Ensure the person you correspond with has an OMVIC e-mail address.
  • If you speak to someone on the phone, ask the person to identify themselves, their department, and the issue they’re phoning about:The person you speak with should be able to identify themselves quickly and give you their contact details to speak with them further.You can always ask employees for their extension and offer to phone them back.
  • Call OMVIC:OMVIC’s Complaints and Inquiries department at 1-800-943-6002 will always be able to verify if the person you spoke with works with OMVIC.
  • Call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre:You can also call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to report the incident at 1-888-495-8501 Monday to Friday from 9:00AM to 4:45PM. The Centre also has effective resources to use if you’re a victim of fraud.