A scammer is pretending to be both the Canada Revenue Agency and Winnipeg police in an attempt to separate Winnipeggers from their money.
Winnipeg police – the real ones – said Monday that the scammer will call victims claiming to be an investigator looking into money owed to the CRA.
They then tell victims to dial the Winnipeg Police Service non-emergency line to confirm that an investigation is underway.
The victim is under the impression they’ve started a new call, but the scammer secretly remains on the line, then pretends to be a police officer and asks the victim to transfer money.
Police said Winnipeggers should be mindful that CRA will never demand payment by e-transfer, bitcoin, prepaid gift cards, etc., nor will they threaten anyone with police action.
Older people, they said, are particularly susceptible to this kind of scam.
If you’re targeted by this type of scam, you can report it online to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
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