There are continued reports of a scam circulating in the Shuswap in which victims are threatened by people claiming to be with the Canada Revenue Agency.
A couple in Ranchero recently lost $6,000 to the scam, after aggressive phone calls caused them to panic and re-direct funds. By the time they realized the scam, it was too late.
Police said scammers are calling people, telling them they owe money to the CRA, and that they will be arrested if they don’t pay. In some cases, the suspects know the victim’s name and home address.
The victims are then advised to either e-transfer money or deposit it directly into a bank account, wire money through Money Gram or Pay Pal, pre-paid Visa or, more recently, iTunes cards.
The Canada Revenue Agency will not call to request payment of outstanding debt and most certainly would not request payment in ways such as previously mentioned.
Police are warning the public to hang up the phone if they receive a call like this from anyone and ignore any voice mail messages left on answering machines.
To verify the authenticity of a call from the CRA, people should contact it directly at 1-800-959‑8281 or visit www.cra-arc.gc.ca for more information on CRA-related frauds.
