The Toronto Police Service have received numerous complaints regarding an iTunes gift card phishing scam, linked to fake messages from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
The Toronto Police Service warned citizens that the CRA will not ask for overdue tax payments to be made by Apple iTunes gift cards. Furthermore, the CRA will not ask for any access PIN or codes for iTunes cards purchased.
“If you have been contacted by someone claiming to be an agent for the CRA, please be aware and cautious regarding the information you are providing. Do not be afraid to ask for any credentials and to ask for a phone number to call once you have confirmed all the credentials,” the TPS said in a statement sent to MobileSyrup.
The release goes on to say that should you find yourself affected by this scam, to contact police and have an incident report taken and investigated. Police will not be sending police officers in less than an hour to arrest individuals for immediate non-payments.
The TPS also provided the following hotline, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at, to be used to gather more information about fraud and what to do should you be defrauded. The number for the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is 1-888-495-8501, and the website is www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
iTunes cards have been frequently employed in defrauding schemes. In April, the CBC reports show that a Calgarian woman was defrauded for $20 thousand after someone posing as a tax collector threatened to arrest her if she didn’t purchase iTunes gift cards and give him the activation codes. The article stresses that the CRA will never ask for payments in the form of gift cards and will never call threatening arrest.
Those interested in receiving timely updates about incidents such as this one can download the Toronto Police Service app for iOS or Android.
Related reading: Fitness wearables are at risk for data breaches and fraud, says U of T study
[source]Toronto Police Service[/source]
