Tax scams continue to target Winnipeg residents police warn

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Tax scams continue to target Winnipeg residents police warn

February 20, 2018
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It’s a story that gets repeated every year and this year is no exception.

Winnipeg Police are warning residents about a tax-related scam that is targeting them.

The scam works like this

Fraudsters posing as agents with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will email or phone the victim attempting to get personal information usually telling them they have outstanding taxes.

Police say they are often aggressive and in some cases threaten victims by telling them the police are on the way to arrest them if they do not pay immediately.

Often time the fraudsters target new Canadians who may not be familiar with the tax or justice systems. Their hope is to frighten them into paying.

The fake CRA agent will then tell the victim that in order to pay the amount owed immediately they should go to the store and buy prepaid credit cards or gift cards or go to a money transfer business. Once you give them the details of the card or transfer the money (often to an offshore location) your money cannot be recovered.

Tips

The easiest way to prevent the fraud is to follow a few tips:

The CRA will not phone you to get your identity information
The CRA will never ask you to purchase gift cards, prepaid credit cards or use a money transfer service.
If you receive a call about your tax account contact the CRA by looking up their number from public sources then calling them directly.
Never send money without confirming the identity of the caller.

For more information on this and other types of fraud contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

LINK | Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website