Tax time can be a stressful time, as people calculate their returns to determine how much tax they will have to pay or how much they will get back.But it can also be a prime time for scam artists to perpetrate a fraud on the unsuspecting, by pretending to be the Canada Revenue Agency and sending potential victims a letter or em
ail. Police warn of a scam telling potential victims that there is money to be claimed from the CRA and that all that is required is for the victim to provide certain information so that their file can be "updated" and the monies released. It asks for the information to be faxed, or emailed, to them and provides a fax number.
"The letter looks official enough, and even sounds reasonable," said Const. Steve Holmes, media relations officer with the Kelowna RCMP. "It's intent, however, is not. The fraudsters are looking to gain identity and banking information from the victim so bank accounts can be accessed through false pretenses." He said the scam can be easily sidestepped if one is willing to equip oneself with a little bit of important information.
That information can be found on the Canada Revenue Agency website at www.cra-arc.gc.ca under "contact us", and scrolling down to "Fraudulent Communications" and click on "beware of fraudulent communications". "There it tells you that the CRA will not request personal information of any kind by email," said Holmes. The CRA will not divulge any taxpayer information without authorization, and will not leave any personal information on an answering machine.
"We work too hard for the money we earn," said Holmes. "Part of that work involves remaining ever vigilant to the schemes of criminals who would have us unwittingly hand it over to them." He urges residents to report any frauds to phonebusters or call them at 1-800-495-8501.
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