Apr 9, 2026
Last summer, Winnipeg resident Christina McKay noticed her credit score had taken a massive dive. Concerned, she investigated and found a $1,300 defaulted debt from Rogers for a cable TV service, CBC News reported (1). The problem was, McKay didn’t open the account in the first place — she believes she was a victim of fraud.
After uncovering this charge, McKay began an eight months’ long battle with the telecom company to have the debt wiped off her record. Rogers alleged that McKay opened the account for a family member and lived at the address attached to it. However, McKay disputes these details: She claims she never opened an account for a family member, and she hasn’t lived in the address tied to the account for nearly 10 years.
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"They sat there and went, 'Well, are you sure you didn't forget? Lots of people forget they open accounts,'”McKay told the outlet, adding, "Forgetting to buy a pack of gum I understand, but opening up a cable account, which is over $100 a month? That's a big leap."
During the battle, McKay filed a complaint with the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS), an organization that helps customers resolve complaints with telecom and internet companies. However, Rogers argued in an email that McKay didn’t have the right to do so, citing the fact that she has “expressly confirmed they are not the account holder and are therefore not authorized to submit a complaint on behalf of the account holder.”
McKay told CBC that she also tried to dispute her debt with Equifax, and Rogers had no issue telling them the debt was indeed hers, which caused confusion given the response to her CCTS complaint. In addition to contacting these agencies and organizations, McKay also contacted the Winnipeg police, who confirmed they are investigating the fraud claim.
In an email to CBC, Rogers notes it continues, “to work with local law enforcement as they conduct their ongoing review, consistent with our customer’s request."
After CBC contacted Rogers, McKay says the debt was removed from her Equifax report the following day.
How application fraud works
McKay appears to have fallen victim to what’s known as application fraud (a subset of identity fraud): When a bad actor uses personal information to open an account or apply for a financial service and receive the benefits without ever paying (2). This type of fraud can take many forms: In some cases, personal information is stolen to access services. In others, a fraudster provides false information to gain approval for accounts or loans (e.g. applying for a mortgage). McKay’s case is the former.
Personal information can be obtained in several ways, including data breaches and social engineering scams (3). In some cases, fraudsters use breached data as a starting point, then gather additional details to make fraudulent applications more convincing.
The good news is application fraud is experiencing a downswing, for now. A recent report from Equifax found that overall application fraud rates have dropped to their lowest point since Q3 of 2022 (4). However, even though this type of criminal activity is stagnating, Canadians who get caught in its web can face massive financial consequences.
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The consequences of application fraud
Part of the reason application fraud can be so devastating is because of how businesses deal with unpaid accounts. Generally speaking, if an invoice in your name goes unpaid long enough, your credit score will be lowered due to your perceived inability to repay debts (5). These negative data points will stay on your credit report for six to seven years.
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If a bill remains unpaid long enough, a business may sell it to a collection agency to retrieve payment on its behalf. The tactics can be aggressive, with individuals being contacted repeatedly and asked detailed questions about their income, employment and assets (6).
This can take an emotional and financial toll on anyone — especially if the debt was not theirs to begin with.
How you can dispute unfair bills
Given the damage application fraud can leave in its wake — just look at the eight-month-long battle McKay went through — you can quickly feel overwhelmed. So how can someone deal with an unfair invoice? Here’s some simple advice:
- Report it immediately. If you receive a bill that you did not authorize, report it immediately to your service provider and credit bureaus. If you suspect the transaction is fraudulent, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) and your local police (7).
- Document everything. It’s critical to have evidence of anything related to the incorrect charge. Record when you received or found out about the debt, who it is from, if money left your account and when, and if you suspect your personal information was stolen or at risk (8). These details are important if you need to dispute a bill with a service provider.
- Escalate if necessary. If after disputing the bill you and the service provider do not agree, escalating the issue to a regulatory body can help. In the case of television or telecom-related services, contact the CCTS (9). If the issue is not resolved, also remember to file a dispute with Equifax and TransUnion, since each is a separate entity (10).
Read more: The ultra-rich are bailing on volatile stocks right now — these 4 shockproof assets are their new safe havens
Always keep an eye out
Intuitively, we know when something is off when it comes to our finances. The issue is not how observant we are, but rather not reviewing our records often enough. Application fraud can be caught earlier with proper financial tracking in place.
Start by setting up real-time alerts on your banking apps so you can see suspicious transactions immediately instead of responding too late. Regularly checking your credit report is one of the most effective ways to catch unauthorized transactions early. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (11) recommends reviewing reports from both Equifax and TransUnion at least once a year to ensure no unauthorized accounts or credit applications appear.
Remember: The longer fraudulent accounts go unnoticed, the more likely they are to be reported to credit bureaus and sent to collections — making them significantly harder to reverse.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
CBC (1); FICO (2); Canadian Lenders Association (3); Equifax (4, 10); Credit Counselling Society (5); MNP (6); CAFC (7); Competition Bureau Canada (8); CCTS (9); FCAC (11)
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Brett Surbey is a corporate paralegal with KMSC Law LLP and freelance writer who has written for Yahoo Finance Canada, Success Magazine, Publishers Weekly, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes Advisor and multiple academic journals. He and his family live in northern Alberta, Canada.
