Winnipeg Police are reminding the public to be cautious of any unexpected callers.

Police say that scammers are once again targeting Winnipeg’s by claiming to be criminal investigators and that money is owed to the Canada Revenue Agency. The caller then tells the victim to call Winnipeg Police on their non-emergency line to confirm the investigation is happening. The scammer stays on the line however and then pretends to be a member of the WPS and attempts to convince the victim to transfer money.

This scam has been going on for years and although the phone numbers appear to be Canadian the callers are often calling from India. The RCMP have been involved in taking down 40 call centres in India that have been responsible for the scam. The scam is associated with organized crime.

Know the Facts

• The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will never phone or threaten you to pay a tax debt
• The CRA will never ask you to transfer money using bitcoins or gift cards
• The CRA will never send a text or phone you to say they have a warrant out for your arrest
• The CRA will not threaten to deport you if you owe tax debt
• CRA staff will never use aggressive language or threaten you with arrest.
• Phone numbers on call displays can be easily faked. Do not assume the caller is legitimate based off the phone number.

You can report these scams if you are a victim to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre