Beware of CRA phone scam

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Beware of CRA phone scam

Details: Published on Friday, August 4, 2017

Kira McCormick - Adema
The Neepawa Banner

The CRA scam is on the rise again. In Neepawa, residents have been receiving calls claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency. In one case, they left a voice mail saying, “The very second you receive this message, I need either you or your attorney of record to return the call. This issue at hand is extremely time sensitive. My name is officer Cory Guillians, don’t try to disregard this message and do return this call.”

The RCMP website offers signs to watch for to stay protected from the scam, the CRA will never ask for prepaid credit cards or iTunes gift cards, they also will not send out emails that have details about tax refunds or e-transfers. There will never be personal information on the voice mail that is left. Additionally, legitimate CRA representatives will identify themselves as agents, not officers, and will provide their employee ID number.

The scam is trying to get victims to call the hot line that they provide so they can get personal information, such as full name and social insurance number. Then, they can steal the victims full identity and commit other forms of fraud. If anyone receives a call like this, the RCMP do not recommend calling the local dispatch; hanging up if it is a scam is the best course of action you can take. Only call the local dispatch if you are victimized by the scam.

The CRA would like people to know the following information, that if you receive a call saying you owe money to them, you can call the CRA or check out the account online to be sure. For people who are signed up through online mail, the CRA will: send a registration email to the address you provided for their online mail service for an individual or business. The CRA will not send an email with a link and ask for personal or financial information. The only time the CRA will send an email with links is when a taxpayer calls in and requests a form or link to specific information, then the agent will send that email while they are still on the phone.