The scammers claiming to represent the Canada Revenue Agency are still on the loose.
This is the scam in which people receive threatening phone calls from police officers seemingly on behalf of the Canada Revenue Agency, threatening to arrest people if taxes aren’t paid.
The RCMP has sent out a news release reminding the public of the scam.
They are letting the public know the Canada Revenue Agency does not have RCMP members call people up and order them to pay their taxes under threat of arrest.
In fact, the fraud artists are taking the scam a step further to make it seem more legitimate.
According to the RCMP the scammers are able to spoof phone numbers to make it seem as if the phone number that shows up on your call display is coming from an RCMP detachment, when it is not.
If you do receive one of these threatening phone calls, RCMP is asking you to report the information to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
They do not recommend sending payment to these callers, and especially not in the form of gift cards.
If someone receives a call from a supposed CRA agent or police threatening legal action if payment is not made, they should note the name, phone number and any specific details of the call and report it to their local police service and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, or CAFC.
The CAFC assists law enforcement agencies all over the world by identifying connections among seemingly unrelated cases.
Also, contact Canada Revenue Agency directly if unsure of your tax status.
If in doubt about taxes owed to the CRA or refunds expected, check their website www.cra.gc.ca/myaccount or call 1-800-959-8281.
The RCMP reminds the public never to divulge personal or financial information to unsolicited callers. This includes your full name, birth date, maiden name, social insurance number, bank accounts, credit card numbers, passwords, address and so on.
If you did provide personal or financial information, the RCMP is urging you file a report with your local police department, contact your bank/financial institution and credit card company, and contact the two national credit bureaus Equifax and TransUnion and place fraud alerts on your credit reports.
More information can be found at www.rcmp.gc.ca and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre's website at www.antifraudcentre.ca.
