Recognizing Phishing and Scams Course 2026
This course is for employees and individuals in Canada who want to spot scams before they lose money or information. It covers how scams work, phishing emails and fake websites, texts, calls and AI voice cloning, government and bank impersonation, job and payment fraud, and how to verify and report. Each topic has a lesson and an untimed quiz, followed by a timed 35-question final assessment; score 80% or more to earn a Certificate of Completion.
Quick answer
This free course has about 180 minutes of lessons, 6 untimed topic quizzes (100 questions in all) and a timed final assessment of 35 questions drawn at random. Score 80% or more on the final assessment to download a certificate of completion (private, not accredited). Checked against official sources on October 13, 2026.
What you will learn
- Recognize the pressure tactics and payment requests that most scams share
- Check email senders, links, attachments, QR codes and shopping sites before you trust them
- Respond safely to scam texts, spoofed calls, AI voice cloning and social media scams
- Tell a real CRA or bank contact from an impersonator and verify it the official way
- Spot job scams, money mule offers and invoice, payroll and gift card fraud at work
- Report scams in Canada and take the right first steps after losing money or information
Score 80% or more to download your certificate.
Your study plan
Read each lesson, take its topic quiz (untimed, with explanations), then the timed final assessment. A new mix of questions is drawn every time. Your progress is saved in this browser.
- Read the lessons6 lessons, about 180 min
- Topic quiz 1: How scams work: tactics and warning signs16 questions
- Topic quiz 2: Phishing emails, links, QR codes and fake websites17 questions
- Topic quiz 3: Texts, calls, social media and AI voice cloning16 questions
- Topic quiz 4: Government, bank and tech-support impersonation17 questions
- Topic quiz 5: Job scams, invoice fraud and payment requests17 questions
- Topic quiz 6: Verifying requests and reporting scams17 questions
- Final exam35 questions, 35 min · Score 80% or more
Topic quiz 1: How scams work: tactics and warning signs
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Question 1 of 16
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Answer: A. Social engineering
Social engineering works on people, not machines, to get information, access or money.
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Question 2 of 16
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Answer: B. Urgency
A tight deadline is urgency. It is meant to stop you from pausing to check.
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Question 3 of 16
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Answer: C. Authority and threats
Claiming to be police uses authority, and the arrest warning is a threat. The Cyber Centre lists both as social engineering tactics.
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Question 4 of 16
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Answer: D. Paying a "fine" with gift cards
Scammers ask for gift cards and prepaid cards because the money is hard to trace and hard to get back.
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Question 5 of 16
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Answer: A. In most cases the payment cannot be reversed
The CAFC warns that cryptocurrency payments in most cases cannot be reversed, so the money is usually lost.
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Question 6 of 16
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Answer: C. To improve social engineering attacks such as phishing
The assessment says cybercriminals are almost certainly using LLMs to improve social engineering, including personal phishing emails at scale.
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Question 7 of 16
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Answer: B. Spear phishing aimed at chosen people
Spear phishing targets specific people or organizations and has one of the highest reported financial impacts.
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Question 8 of 16
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Answer: D. A short audio sample of the person
The Cyber Centre says threat actors use AI and short audio samples to create a copy of a person's voice.
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Question 9 of 16
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Answer: B. A voice call that sounds robotic or "off"
Get Cyber Safe lists overly polished messages, voice calls that sound robotic or off, and suspiciously urgent content.
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Question 10 of 16
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Answer: D. So no one can warn you that it is a scam
Secrecy, such as a fake "gag order", cuts you off from people who would spot the scam.
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Question 11 of 16
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Answer: C. In things people post publicly on social media
Get Cyber Safe warns that fraudsters use facts you made public on social media to make a request seem legitimate.
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Question 12 of 16
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Answer: D. Offering a service or benefit in return for information or a task
In quid pro quo, the attacker offers something, like free tech help, and asks for sensitive information or a task in return.
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Question 13 of 16
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Answer: A. A fake warning that scares you into a harmful step
The Cyber Centre describes scareware as an attempt to scare you into believing your device is at risk so you take a harmful action.
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Question 14 of 16
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Answer: D. Familiarity and urgency
It uses a friendly, familiar name and a noon deadline. A new payment address is another warning sign.
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Question 15 of 16
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Answer: C. Contact Jordan or the coach using a number you already have
Verify through a different channel you already trust. Replying in the same chat may reach the scammer.
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Question 16 of 16
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Answer: B. Anyone can be fooled, so verify every unusual request
Fraud and scams are almost certainly the most common cybercrime affecting Canadians, and AI makes them more convincing.
Keyboard: 1–4 to answer, Enter for the next question.
What to know before the test
- Fraud and scams are almost certainly the most common form of cybercrime affecting Canadians, and spear phishing has one of the highest reported levels of financial impact on victims.
- Cybercriminals are almost certainly using AI language models to improve social engineering, and AI tools can create realistic audio and video that impersonate trusted people.
- Voice cloning uses AI and short audio samples to copy a voice. The Cyber Centre suggests safe words or call-back codes, and calling back on a known, trusted number.
- The CRA will not demand immediate payment by e-transfer, cryptocurrency, prepaid cards or gift cards, and it will not threaten to arrest or deport you.
- The CRA only sends text messages for multi-factor authentication, and it does not send refunds or payments by e-transfer or text.
- The Canadian criminal justice system does not allow someone to be bailed out of jail with cash or cryptocurrency.
- Forwarding a scam text to 7726 (SPAM) is free and alerts your cellular provider.
- Fraud can be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca or 1-888-495-8501 (weekdays, 10 am to 4:45 pm Eastern time), whether you are a victim or not.
Frequently asked questions
Is this an official certification?
No. Passing the final assessment gives you a PassEveryTest Certificate of Completion, which shows you finished this general skills course. It is not an accredited qualification or a vendor, employer or government certification, and it does not replace training your employer requires.
How does the final assessment work?
It has 35 questions drawn at random from the course question bank, with a 35-minute time limit. You need 80% to pass, and each attempt gives you a new mix of questions.
How is this different from a general cybersecurity awareness course?
This course goes deeper on scams only: many more realistic messages and calls to practise on, government and bank impersonation, job scams, AI voice cloning, and how to verify and report. It does not cover topics like passwords or backups in detail.
What should I do if I think a caller is a scammer right now?
Hang up. Then call the organization or person back using a number you find yourself, such as the one on your bank card, the official website or your own contacts, not a number the caller gave you.
Where do I report a scam in Canada?
If you lost money, contact your financial institution and local police first. Report any scam or attempt to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or at 1-888-495-8501, and forward scam texts to 7726.
Is the certificate accredited or officially recognised?
No. It is a private certificate of completion for knowledge only. It is not recognised, accredited or approved by any government, licensing body, regulator or educational institution, and it does not replace any licence, certification or training required by law.
Sources
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-2026
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: Social engineering (ITSAP.00.166)
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: Don't take the bait: Recognize and avoid phishing attacks (ITSAP.00.101)
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: Spotting malicious email messages (ITSAP.00.100)
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: What is voice phishing (vishing)? (ITSAP.00.102)
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: Security considerations for QR codes (ITSAP.00.141)
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: How to shop online safely (ITSAP.00.071)
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) (ITSAP.00.041)
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: Report a cyber incident
- Get Cyber Safe: Smishing: An introduction
- Get Cyber Safe: Reporting spam text messages to 7726
- Get Cyber Safe: Don't get hooked: understanding phishing and how to stay safe
- Get Cyber Safe: Starting new habits: Cyber Month week 4
- Get Cyber Safe: Recognize AI: 9 ways to spot AI content online
- Get Cyber Safe: Social media
- Canada Revenue Agency: Recognize a scam
- Canada Revenue Agency: Verify it's the CRA calling
- Canada Revenue Agency: Report a scam or identity theft
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Phishing
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Spear phishing
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Bank investigator
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Job scams
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Service scams (including tech support)
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Emergency scams
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Extortion
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Merchandise
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Relationship and romance
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Recovery pitch
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: SIM card swap
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: What to do if you're a victim of fraud
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Reporting fraud