(Bancroft, Ontario) – On Monday the 02nd of December 2013, the Bancroft detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police received the report of a fraud from a Bancroft area resident. Investigation revealed that an individual received an e-mail from someone claiming to be employed with Tax Revenue. The e-mail advised the person that they were eligible to receive a tax refund and that they needed to complete and submit the tax refund request attached to the e-mail. The e-mail requested the social insurance number and credit card information of the person. In this incident, social insurance number and credit card information was provided to the fraudster.
The Bancroft OPP wants to remind area residents that the federal government will not send out e-mails requesting personal information such as social insurance numbers, banking information or credit card information. When encountering such any incident that involves money, always verify the information before providing any personal information by phone, mail or e-mail. Canada Revenue Agency can be contacted 1-800-959-8281 or online at www.cra-arc.gc.ca if you receive anything in relation income tax.