Since the beginning of 2016, there have been more than 850 complaints made to RCMP detachments in Saskatchewan about the Canada Revenue Agency, or CRA, scam. This does not include those who have reported to other police services.
Seventeen individuals in Saskatchewan have been victimized with nearly $70,000 in losses reported.
The callers threaten arrest, legal action, seizure of homes, vehicles and other assets if payment isn't made. The callers will often be aggressive and sometimes even vulgar in their language, particularly if the victim does not comply with their demands.
The callers can spoof local telephone numbers so the call appears to come from the victim's community or even an RCMP detachment. However, most of the calls come from non-local numbers with area codes outside of Saskatchewan or 800 numbers.
The callers sometimes identify themselves with the name and rank of a police officer and a badge number. The RCMP wants to ensure the public is aware the CRA will never contact people by telephone, text or email and ask for personal information or demand payment for taxes in the form of prepaid credit, iTunes or other gift cards (a common form of payment requested is iTunes gift cards). They will not threaten or use inappropriate language.
If someone receives a call from a supposed CRA agent or the 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. The CAFC does not conduct investigations, but provides valuable assistance to law enforcement agencies all over the world by identifying connections among seemingly unrelated cases.
If in doubt about taxes owed to the CRA or a refund expected, members of the public can check the websitewww.cra.gc.ca/myaccount or call 1-800-959-8281.
The RCMP wants to remind the public never to divulge personal or financial information to unsolicited callers. That information requested could include full name, date of birth, maiden name of mother, Social Insurance Number, bank accounts, credit card numbers, passwords or address.
If you unwittingly provided personal information or financial information:
·Contact your local police force and file a report.
·Contact your bank/financial institution and credit card company.
· Contact the two national credit bureaus and place a fraud alert on your credit reports.
•Equifax Canada ( http://www.equifax.com/home/en_ca ) Toll free: 1-800-465-7166
• TransUnion Canada ( http://www.transunion.ca/ ) Toll free: 1-877-525-3823
More information on this and other scams can be found on the RCMP website at www.rcmp.gc.ca and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/reportincident-signalerincident/index-eng.htm )'s website at www.antifraudcentre.ca.
