Warning signs before you send

Most bitcoin fraud follows recognizable patterns. If any of these apply to a payment you are about to make, pause and talk to someone you trust — or talk to us.

1. Urgency: you are told to act now, before it is too late.
2. Secrecy: you are told to keep the transaction secret or given answers to repeat if anyone asks.
3. Someone met online: the recipient, wallet or payment instructions come from a person met on a dating app or social media.
4. Remote access: someone asks to control your computer or phone to "help you invest".
5. Guaranteed returns: an investment promises high profits with no risk.
6. Fake dashboards: a trading platform shows impressive profits, but withdrawing requires a fee, a tax or one more deposit.

Official resources on these schemes:

• AMF — Cryptoasset fraud
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre — Investment fraud

How YAP helps

• Our staff talk through concerns without blame. People caught in a scam are acting under trust, hope or pressure — a respectful conversation is often what breaks the spell.
• A transaction can be paused for additional human review when something feels wrong.
• Our supervised YAP Sentinel pilot helps our team recognize scam patterns and organize information. It assists people — it never makes decisions.

Learn more about YAP Sentinel

We are a Québec-licensed money-services business, registered with FINTRAC.