Saint Johners are being reminded to be wary of scams involving calls from people claiming to represent the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
The Saint John Police Force urges residents to never provide personal information over the phone if someone calls them claiming to be from CRA.
Jeffrey Lansing of the Canada Revenue Agency said they often hear scammers will use aggressive language and threaten to send the police to your house.
Lansing notes representatives of CRA will never do this.
“Scammers often asked to be paid by pre-paid credit cards or gift cards. Some will ask for payment through bitcoin ATM’s and that’s not how the CRA asks for payment. We have lots of ways for individuals to pay their tax debts but, gift cards aren’t one of them,” Lansing said.
Lansing said scam phone calls should be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
“If you suspect you have been the victim of fraud or you have been tricked into giving your personal or financial information, contact your local police service,” Lansing said.
As of February 4th, police in Saint John had received 22 reports of fraud this year involving the CRA scam and another using personal information to get Employment Insurance benefits.
While the Saint John Police Force finds reports of fraudulent activity are common, they have not noticed an increase recently but point out this may not reflect those who chose not to report it to the police.
To improve the security of your information online, choose different usernames, passwords and security questions for all online accounts. 🔑 Here’s how to make your CRA account more secure ➡️ https://t.co/JAN6rTZlo1 #SaferInternetDay #CdnTax pic.twitter.com/aRKzZb8XDS
— Canada Revenue Agency (@CanRevAgency) February 8, 2022
Follow
