CRA never asks you to pay with gift cards, credit cards or via money transfer companies

It’s a scam that has been popping up off and on for years. Fraudsters pose as Canada Revenue Agency employees. They try to get your personal information and then tell you you have outstanding taxes. As the scam unfolds the fake agents usually get more and more aggressive and often say that the police are on the way to arrest you or a family member if you don’t pay immediately.

The fraudster will at this point tell you to pay your taxes due by going to a store and purchasing a gift card or pre paid credit card or in some cases to go to a money transfer service. Once you give the bogus employees the information form the cards it is lost and not recoverable.

Winnipeg Police Service says that often these fraudsters operate outside of Canada. They often spoof the number they are calling from in an effort to trick the victim. Often these types of frauds are attempted against new Canadians who may not be familiar with Canada’s tax system.

Police say that you can protect yourself by following a few simple tips.

If you get a call from someone purporting to be from Canada Revenue Agency tell them you will phone them back. Then look up the number for CRA and call them back to confirm details of your account.

If someone asks you to pay a bill to any government agency using gift cards, pre paid credit cards or wire transfer IT IS A SCAM. No Canadian government agency will ask you to make payments in this manner EVER!

If you would like to learn more about tax scams or other types of fraud, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

LINK |  Canadian Anti-fraud Centre

-News4 Staff-

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