CRA used as cover for phone frauds
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, May 10, 2016
By Kira Paterson
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
Phone frauds have been a problem for a long time, but every once in a while, there seems to be a spike in calls in an area that reminds everyone to be wary of suspicious telemarketers. Genie Barnaby, coordinator of Home Assistance Neepawa and District (HAND), has had that very reminder recently.
“I had a senior call me this morning in tears as she had a very rude, obnoxious caller asking her about her Visa card and requesting information,” Barnaby said on Thursday of last week. “When she refused to give him any info, he called her a very nasty name. She did hang up on him, but he did call her back again and called her the nasty name once more.” The senior had told Barnaby that when the call came in, the phone showed all zeros in the caller ID. She also noticed that the caller had a very thick foreign accent.
Barnaby added that her husband, Bob, also recently received a suspicious phone call asking for personal information earlier that week. “My husband received a call this week from someone saying they were from Revenue Canada saying Bob had to provide personal info regarding his income tax,” she explained, adding that this caller also had a strong accent. “It is really sad that people have to be concerned about who is reaching them through their phone and making them feel violated!”
It can be easy to forget, as most telemarketers are genuine (albeit a nuisance sometimes), but people should always be careful about what information they are giving out. Even when not giving information, once a person refuses to cooperate with a scammer, the scammer can often be very rude and offensive, as in the case of the senior that spoke with Barnaby. Most fraud centres encourage people to hang up as soon as they suspect fraud to prevent scammers from getting the opportunity to say their choice words.
Sometimes, fraudsters will use a real company as a cover to make their stories more believable, such as the one that called Barnaby’s husband under the facade of being with Canada Revenue Agency. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) says that because it is tax season, there are a lot of fraudsters using that as their cover during this time of the year. Usually, the fraudster either claims that there is a refund pending or that the person owes back taxes. Most often, they will ask for personal information, which is the biggest red flag, as the Canada Revenue Agency should have all the information they need on file. CAFC encourages anyone receiving suspicious calls like that to call the Canada Revenue Agency and check to see if what they were told is true before cooperating in any way.
Other common fraud covers include winning prizes, investment opportunities, services or products for sale or charities that don’t exist. The biggest warning sign of a fraud is requesting private financial information, such as bank account or credit card numbers, without having agreed to purchase anything or give money. Other warning signs include the caller asking specifically for cash only, claiming to be in a position of authority in their business, calling the recipient of the phone call by their first name instead of Mr. or Mrs., or being pressured to make a decision immediately, as they know there is a chance for the recipient to find out that the caller’s claims are fraudulent if they have time to check it out.
Anyone who believes they have been the target of a fraudulent phone call should report it immediately. They can call the toll free PhoneBusters number at 1-888-495-8501, visit the website http://www.phonebusters.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to report a suspected fraud.
