The Belleville Police Service reminds citizens during tax season of the likelihood of an increase in Canada Revenue Agency-related fraud scams. These scams usually involve a contact from a scammer claiming to be an employee of either the Canada Revenue Agency or Service Canada. These scammers state that you:
1. have a compromised SIN number
2. have an outstanding case against you
3. owe back taxes
4. have unpaid balances
5. committed a financial crime
They threaten that if you do not speak to them immediately, you’ll be arrested, fined or even deported.
The scammers may request payment via money service businesses, pre‐paid cards/gift cards (iTunes, Google Play, or Steam cards), or Bitcoin.
A legitimate agent of the Canada Revenue Service will never ask you to:
1. Send refunds by e-transfer or text message
2. Demand or pressure immediate payment by:
a) Interac® e-transfer
b) Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin)
c) Prepaid credit cards
d) Gift cards from any retailer
3. Threaten to deport, arrest or place you in prison
4. Use aggressive or threatening language
5. Set up an in-person meeting in a public location to collect a payment
6. Charge a fee to speak with a call centre agent
7. Ask for personal or financial information in a voicemail or email
If you receive a call from the Canada Revenue Agency, do not provide any information until you verify that it is the agency calling. Tips on identifying these and any other types of fraud and how to verify a member of the Canada Revenue Agency is calling are available on the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website.
