According to the RCMP, a number of citizens in the Bulkley-Valley area have received phone calls or e-mails from sources identifying themselves as Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) affiliates.
The callers offer additional tax refunds for the 2015 year, or demand immediate payment of overdue taxes.
“These contacts are a scam,” says the RCMP. “Never provide any personal or banking information.”
Another fraudulent communication includes urging taxpayers to visit a fake CRA website where the taxpayer is then asked to verify their identity by entering personal information. The CRA says taxpayers should never respond to these fraudulent communications or click on any of the links provided.
In addition, the CRA says it will never ask for information such as credit card, health card or passport numbers. Furthermore, the CRA never threatens to lay criminal charges against people who don’t pay their taxes.
Police say the best way for someone to verify their tax situation is to contact the CRA independently using a phone number that was not provided by the caller. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre also advises consumers not to open unsolicited e-mails or when the sender is unknown.
Every year, Canadians lose millions of dollars to scams that result in identity and financial theft.
If a telephone scammer uses threats to coerce you into providing personal information, ignore the call and report it to the RCMP anti-fraud centre online at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or by calling 1-888-495-8501. Spam and related violations can also be reported to enforcement agencies through the Spam Reporting Centre at http://www.fightspam.gc.ca
