UPDATE: June 22: Vancouver police have now issued a clarification about what happened during this recent CRA scam.
Police say the woman was scammed out of $6,000 by someone who called her claiming to be with the CRA. However, the rest of the story released by police Thursday is not true.
No one showed up at the woman’s door looking like RCMP officers, handcuffed her or drove her to Cambie Street and King Edward to take out money.
Police say at no time did she deal with anyone in person.
Story from June 21:
Scammers posing as the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) are finding ever more creative — and frightening — ways to target their victims’ money.
The latest one unfolded on Wednesday at around 4 p.m., said a Vancouver police (VPD) news release.
WATCH: CRA phone scam ramps up again before tax time
A 58-year-old woman received a call from an individual who claimed to be with the CRA.
She was told there was a warrant for her arrest due to a balance owing from her taxes.
The woman was then put on the phone with a different person who claimed to be a Mountie.
READ MORE: CRA scammer comes to woman’s door with handcuffs, threatens to arrest her
That person prodded her into providing her personal information — and her location.
Then, two men showed up in what appeared to be short-sleeved RCMP shirts, blue pants with yellow stripes down the sides and police duty belts — and what looked like firearms.
The suspects handcuffed her and put her in the back of an “older-model sedan,” police said.
She was then pressured to take out $6,000 at a bank at Cambie Street and King Edward.
WATCH: New twist in Canada Revenue Agency scam
The woman was then driven to Surrey where she deposited the money in a Bitcoin machine.
The suspects then left the scene without the woman.
One suspect was described as a Caucasian man in his 30s, five-feet-11-inches tall, with an average build, light-brown hair and a trimmed, full beard.
The other suspect was also described as a Caucasian man, 25 to 27 years old, with short brown hair and clean-shaven.
They drove a black, older-model, four-door vehicle that had worn out seats, Vancouver police said.
“This incident has taken the CRA scam to a new level,” said VPD Const. Jason Doucette.
“Taking physical control of someone like this can be considered kidnapping.”
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