Beware of CRA phone scam

Typically, scammers call and demand payment via e-Transfer or with unusual methods such as prepaid credit cards, gift cards or crypto. They also pressure the target to act immediately. The scammers can be very convincing. For example, they may know some of your personal information, such as your social insurance number (SIN). They may tell their targets that their taxes have been audited and they owe money. To sound legitimate, they recite ID numbers and case numbers. And while the caller ID may display an Ottawa phone number, scammers often use technology to “spoof,” or fake, their actual location. Scammers may also approach their targets with emails, text messages and letters.

If someone from the CRA phones you and requests payment, ask for a name and case number. Inform the caller that you will be contacting the CRA directly for further information. If they balk, give you a bogus-sounding email address or try to convince you to stay on the phone, hang up. Another red flag, according to Williams, is if the caller has a sense of urgency. If they pressure you to act quickly or give you a deadline of a couple of hours to complete a payment, that’s a dead giveaway that something is up. “Real entities aren’t going to go out of business tomorrow,” he says. Scammers want to get their hands on your hard-earned money as soon as possible because they know that if you have a few moments to think and do a quick Google search or ask a friend, their jig is up.

Whereas these fraudsters try to strike fear in our law-abiding hearts, other scammers try to entice Canadians with the promise of extra benefits and refunds. These wily guys cast their net for victims via email rather than phone and wheedle out important personal information—including your SIN and bank details—under the guise of sending you more money, only to bleed you dry.

Holy tax evasion, Batman! »

This scam is being sent to more people, since it’s a lot easier sending out a mass email than making personal phone calls. However, as Internet users become savvier, this type of ploy is attracting fewer victims than before. According to Williams, a red flag for this CRA scam is if the email starts with a generic “Dear Taxpayer,” which the real tax collector would never do. Alternatively, if your email address includes your name, these impostors may use that in the greeting instead, but watch out for bad spelling and grammar throughout the rest.

If you have received this call or email and have fallen for the ruse, Williams recommends immediately attempting to stop the transfer of money. Depending on how long it has been since the initial call, this may not be possible. Regardless of whether you can save your money, report the fraud to the police.

Here are some additional points to consider if you ever think you’re dealing with a scammer, taken from the CRA website.

The CRA:

• never requests prepaid credit cards;
• never asks for information about your passport, health card, or driver’s licence;
• never shares your taxpayer information with another person, unless you have provided the appropriate authorization; and
• never leaves personal information on your answering machine or asks you to leave a message containing your personal information on an answering machine.

When in doubt, ask yourself the following:

• Is there a reason that the CRA may be calling? Do I have a tax balance outstanding?
• Is the requester asking for information I would not include with my tax return?
• Is the requester asking for information I know the CRA already has on file for me?
• How did the requester get my email address or telephone number?
• Am I confident I know who is asking for the information?