Who to call in Quebec
The offices to call in Quebec, on top of the national numbers on Who to call in Canada.
Quebec has a credit freeze, and neither bureau charges for it
Quebec residents have been able to freeze their credit file at Equifax and at TransUnion since 1 February 2023, under Quebec’s Credit Assessment Agents Act. A freeze does not change your score.
How to place one. Ask each bureau separately. At Equifax, sign in to myEquifax, or post its Quebec lock form with two pieces of identification; its credit-lock line is 1-866-828-5961. At TransUnion, go to ocs.transunion.ca or telephone 1-800-663-9980. The same routes lift it again.
Stronger than a fraud alert. An alert asks a lender to verify identity. A freeze stops the bureau handing the file over for new credit.
a credit freeze a block that stops a credit bureau sharing your file with a new lender
Ontario and Quebec law let you ask Equifax and TransUnion not to give your file to a lender who would open new credit. Neither bureau charges for it, and each has to be asked separately. Equifax calls it Credit Lock. Everywhere else, the option is a fraud alert instead.
a fraud alert a note on the credit file asking a lender to check who they are talking to
It asks; it does not stop anything on its own. A lender is meant to make contact and confirm identity before approving credit in your name. Each bureau keeps its own file, so one placed at one does nothing at the other. A bureau may charge for placing one.
L’Autorité des marchés financiers
1-877-525-0337 toll free, 418-525-0337 in Quebec City, 514-395-0337 in Montreal. Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:30pm.
It regulates insurance as well as investments, so one call covers either question.
Before the money moves. If someone calls offering an investment, say you will call back, and hang up. Call the number the Autorité’s Register of authorized firms and individuals gives for them.
After it has moved. Call if the fraud followed a promise of an investment, returns, rebates, units or shares. If your case is outside what it handles, it will tell you who to call. Its investigations are confidential.
La Ligne Aide Maltraitance Adultes Aînés
1-888-489-2287, or 514-489-2287. Seven days a week, 8:00am to 8:00pm.
It answers in French and in English. It helps adults who are being mistreated, including when money is taken, and a family member or witness can call too.
Le Curateur public du Québec
1-844-532-8728, toll free, which the office writes as 1-844-LECURATEUR, or 514-873-4074. Medical consent questions go to 514-873-5228. Office hours:
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8:30am to noon, and 1:00pm to 4:30pm
- Wednesday opens at 10:00am, otherwise the same, including the break from noon to 1:00pm
Emergencies are covered twenty-four hours a day on 1-800-363-9020.