CALGARY – Police are again warning the public about a tax-related phone scam making the rounds.
Investigators say scammers are making telephone calls claiming to be someone from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
Police had previously warned the public about the scam in May, after learning of several victims within Calgary’s Southeast Asian community.
In December of 2014, police were notified of two more cases where victims received fraudulent phone calls from someone saying they were with the CRA.
The caller told victims they owed back taxes, and would be arrested if they didn’t pay the debt immediately.
In most cases, the caller has had some of the victim’s personal information, including their name, address and even bank account details.
Victims are told to pay the debt with prepaid credit cards or through a money transfer service, and are kept on the phone until the transaction is complete.
In total, police say 35 victims of the scam were identified in 2014.
All the victims combined have been defrauded of approximately $60,000.
Contact information
Anyone who has been a victim of this scam, has suffered a loss or is aware of a possible suspect should call the Calgary Police Service non-emergency number at 403-266-1234.
In addition, anyone that has received a communication that they think may be a scam should contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to report it. A report can be filed online at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or by phone at 1-888-495-8501.
Citizens are encouraged to confirm that a call is legitimate when contacted by a representative from the Canada Revenue Agency by calling the agency back directly through one of their published telephone numbers, such as 1-800-959-8281.
Tips from the Canada Revenue Agency
• The CRA never requests, by email, personal information of any kind from a taxpayer.
• The CRA will never request information from a taxpayer pertaining to a passport, health card, or driver’s license.
• The CRA will not divulge taxpayer information to another person unless formal authorization is provided by the taxpayer.
• The CRA will not leave any personal information on an answering machine.
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