CALGARY – Police are warning the public to be cautious of a so-called CRA scam which recently cost a Calgary woman thousands of dollars.
The victim received a phone call from a man claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency on April 20. He told the victim she owed money for income taxes and as such, a warrant had been issued for her arrest and liens placed on her home, car and investments.
The fraudster instructed the victim to purchase iTunes gift cards from a nearby grocery store as a way of paying off her debt. He remained on the phone with her as she purchased the cards. She then told him the activation codes.
READ MORE: Ontario woman defrauded of more than $12K in iTunes gift cards in CRA scam: police
She then repeated the progress at a different grocery store.
The fraudster told the victim he was at the courthouse attempting to have the warrant dropped, but claimed it was re-issued. At this time, he told her more money would be needed to have the warrant dropped.
The victim withdrew additional money at a bank and contacted a family member to ask for some cash. The family member, however, contacted police who located the victim and stopped her from completing the task.
In total, the victim was defrauded of nearly $20,000 before police intervened.
READ MORE: Tax season brings tax scams, warns CRA
Anyone who believes they may have lost money to one of these scams is asked to call police or contact Crime Stoppers.