Spring is tax season, and it’s also scam season.
Police services across the Kawarthas are reminding residents to beware of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scam, which is very active right now.
“This scam is evolving from year to year and becoming more sophisticated and more believable,” says Detective Constable Keith Calderwood with Peterborough Police Service Fraud Unit.
The scammers pretend to be CRA employees, claim that you owe the government money, and often threaten you with arrest if you do not pay.
Recent versions of the scam demand that you pay using gift cards, including iTunes and Steam cards. For telephone scams, the scammers often spoof the incoming number that appears on your call display so it appears to be legitimate.
On Monday alone (April 23), Peterborough police received 36 calls from residents reporting they had been contacted by income tax fraudsters. Recently, a local college student was scammed out of more than $1,500 after responding to a fake CRA email where she provided the scammers with all of her personal and banking information.
The City of Kawartha Lakes Police Service and the Northumberland detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have also reported calls from residents about the CRA scam.
Police are reminding residents to never provide identity or financial information or payment to someone who claims to be from the CRA, whether by telephone or in email.
CRA will never contact you by telephone or email to ask for identity or financial information, threaten you with arrest, or demand payment using gift cards. There are some legitimate reasons why CRA may contact you by telephone or email. In those cases, you should always verify by calling the CRA directly at 1-800-959-5525 (corporate income tax) or 1-800-959-8281 (personal income tax).
“These scammers are extremely aggressive and convincing,” Calderwood says. “If you get one of these calls, do not act (by giving them information). Hang up, call a trusted family member, friend, and call your bank.”
If you receive a scam phone call, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre toll free at 1-888-495-8501. For more information, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.
If you have been a victim of fraud (meaning you have lost money to a scammer), contact your local police service.
