Please SHARE, to save folks from falling for these scams.
I’ve heard from many constituents that they’ve received phone calls from people pretending to be the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Some of the callers even tell them that a warrant is out for their arrest!!
As a reminder, there are many, many scams out there and this is one of them. Often, the criminals extort money via phone calls, emails or text messages. Sometimes they’ll say that the communication is from the CRA, requesting personal information like your SIN, passport number or credit card number. Sometimes the callers will say you are owed money and sometimes they’ll say you owe money. These calls are generally phishing attempts to obtain your personal information to steal your identity.
The CRA won’t request bank account information, passport numbers or credit card numbers over email, phone or via text messages!
If you receive what you believe may be a scam call from the CRA you should hang up right away. You can then call the real CRA and ask them to investigate your account 1-800-959-8281. You can also log into your My Account and see if you have any money owing, owed to you- or if a letter is waiting in your inbox.
If you believe you have received a fraudulent call, please report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by calling 1-888-495-8501.
I’m told that in 2016, around a dozen arrests in Canada, and in India, helped lower the volume of complaints to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by 50% the next year.
We recognize that scams in general are on the rise in Canada. That’s why in Budget 2018 we announced the creation of the new National Cybercrime Coordination Unit. Run by the RCMP, the unit will be a coordination hub for cybercrime investigations in Canada and will work with international partners on cybercrime, including phone scams, to protect Canadians.
