Police warn residents across the GTA of ‘CRA’ tax scam

WATCH ABOVE:  Taxpayers are being randomly targeted by fake CRA emails, texts and calls. Lama Nicolas reports.

TORONTO – A tax scam has police in the GTA warning residents to be careful.

Peel Police say scam artists are calling, texting and sending emails to people for money, claiming to be from Canada Revenue Agency.

‘They’re bullying people into thinking they owe taxes or they need to give this person on the other end personal information,” said Peel Const. William Patterson. “They start yelling at people, ‘if you don’t pay up we’re going to come and arrest you.'”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: 'They're bullying people into thinking they owe taxes or they need to give this person on the other end personal information," said Peel Const. William Patterson. "They start yelling at people, 'if you don't pay up we're going to come and arrest you.'"

Police said they’ve been inundated with calls from people about the scam, and predict that number will rise as the tax deadline approaches.

Police across the GTA and the country have been sending out warnings about this scam.

The calls reportedly show up on caller ID as local numbers, but could be coming in from anywhere overseas. Emails look authentic, often with CRA logos, but links won’t work.

“They will do just about anything, say just about anything, to get you to send money,” said Patterson.

Toronto police ask people to keep these tips in mind:

• the CRA will not send emails containing any links
• the CRA never request taxpayers to attend and purchase any gift cards
• the CRA will not request personal information of any kind from a taxpayer by email or text message
• the CRA never divulges taxpayer information to another person unless formal authorization is provided by the taxpayer
• the CRA never leaves any personal information on an answering machine or asks taxpayers to leave a message with their personal information on an answering machine

With files from Lama Nicolas