With the 2019 tax season approaching, the Niagara Regional Police Service, Central Fraud Unit, is reminding the public to beware of communication from fraudsters claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
This is a very common scam that has resulted in significant financial losses. Citizens are advised to be cautious if they receive communication from persons claiming to be from the CRA. Scammers typically demand personal information and are often aggressive, threaten arrest, or create a sense of urgency.
The CRA will never request a payment by Interac e-transfer, digital currency such as bitcoin, pre-paid credit cards or gift cards such as iTunes, Google Play, etc. Also, the CRA never sends out text messages. Any text message from the CRA should be considered a scam. Furthermore, scammers often use technology to imitate or “spoof” phone numbers that appear on a call display. Scammers have been known to “spoof” actual Government or Police agencies phone numbers in order to trick their victims.
For more information on the CRA scam and how to protect yourself, please visit the Government of Canada website at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency.html , or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website at http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/.
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