Tax season is upon us in Canada and this brings out trepidation for some, and an opportunity for others.
The RCMP and the CRA have banded together to warn Canadians of a phone, email and text scam making the rounds that suggest you owe money or have a tax refund, but the Government declares “these people are scammers.”
The scammers on the other end of the phone, email or text have apparently been directing Canadians to a dedicated website, which encourages you to hand over personal information, such as your SIN, credit card, bank account, and passport numbers.
Todd Shean of the RCMP said, “scammers are always looking for new ways to get your money or your personal information. The RCMP works every day to track down fraudsters and bring them to justice, but raising awareness about fraud is also important as it is one of the most effective ways of protecting Canadians from scammers. The more you know about a specific fraud, the less likely you’ll be a victim of that fraud.”
The CRA notes these scammers have been threatening Canadians with arrest or jail time if the requested info is not given. To be sure, the CRA says that it will only contact you from the official 1-800-959-8281 telephone number and that you verify your tax account details within the CRA website.
“The CRA takes these matters very seriously and provides substantial information to Canadians about how to protect themselves from scams undertaken using the CRA’s name. Informing yourself is particularly important during the tax filing season, when such scams peak,” said Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue in a recent statement sent to MobileSyrup.
[source] CRA [/source]
