NEED TO KNOW: Tips to avoid CRA & other scams

It can be a scary proposition if you owe thousands of dollars to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), but it can be even scarier if you are the victim of a fraud.

The CRA says scams come in various ways — e-mail, telephone, mail and text message.

Fraudsters who claim to be from CRA contact people using these methods and request personal information like social insurance, credit card, bank account or passport numbers.

In several cases, the fraudster will tell the person that he or she owes money and has to repay it, and in other cases appears to send payments by e-transfer. The person is told via email or telephone that his or her personal information is needed the verify their identity and so that the refund can be processed.

The CRA has the following tips to help people safeguard their personal information and identity.

  • The CRA will only send payments via direct deposit or cheque, and not by e-transfer.
  • People should never respond to fraudulent inquiries or click on any links in an email. The CRA does not send emails containing links.
  • Revenue Canada does not ask personal information from an individual by email or text message.
  • While the CRA may call and leave a message for a person, it will not provide personal information to another person or leave it on an answering machine, but request you to call back.
  • At times, some of the CRA calls may not be sincere. If you are skeptical of the caller, contact the CRA directly.
  • For those who have signed up for online mail like MyAccount, the CRA will send an email telling the individual that he or she has new mail to view in the CRA’s secure online services portal.

 

The CRA has provided examples of fraudulent letters, emails, text messages and online refund forms on its website.

Click here for other tips and guidelines from the CRA.

Scams are not just limited to taxpayers, but extend to seniors fraud, ATM skimming, fake credit application letters, and various unscrupulous methods of identity theft.

According to the Toronto police, financial-related crimes cost Canadians billions of dollars each year. Police say people can avoid being a victim of such a crime by following safety tips and knowing about the various scams.

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