(SOUTH BRUCE, ON) – South Bruce Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is urging residents to protect themselves from being financially and emotionally victimized by scammers whose only purpose is to take your money.
Scammers have been very active throughout the area using a scam known as the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) tax scam. This particular scam tends to peak around tax season.
Recently, a Grey County resident lost $38,000 to a CRA scam. The victim was lead to believe that there was an arrest warrant for him because he owed a considerable amount of money in back taxes. The victim made several transactions to a mail outlet in the United States and West Africa.
Generally there are two common variations to the CRA scam.
Variation 1 – The scammer will inform you by email or phone that you are entitled to a tax refund or benefit payment. In order to receive the payment you must provide personal information such as your social insurance number, credit card number, bank account number, or passport number.
Variation 2 – The scammer will call you or send you an email message informing you that you owe back taxes as a result of an audit. The scammer will often use threatening or coercive language to scare you into paying a fictitious debt to the CRA. Threats made by the scammers indicating that you will be arrested, deported or a lien placed on your home or vehicle are commonly used. At times, the scammer will identify themselves as a police officer.
Protect yourself and beware of this scam. Here are some tips to avoid becoming the next victim.
Do not take immediate action. Verify that what you are being told is the truth.
Ask yourself why the CRA would be asking for personal information over the phone or email that they likely already have on file for you as a taxpayer.
Contact the CRA to confirm that you owe back taxes or are entitled to a refund, before providing any personal or banking information.
Be careful of fake CRA websites where the taxpayer is asked to provide personal information.
Remember the CRA will not request payments by prepaid credit cards.
More information about fraud scams involving the CRA
If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, contact your local police service or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or visit them on line at www.antifraudcentre.ca.
