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Police warn against CRA telephone scam

Aug 7, 2015 | 1:10 PM

The Prince Albert Police Service has received numerous calls regarding a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) telephone scam.

By Friday morning, there had been multiple reports of residents receiving phone calls from the CRA asking for a payment on a fictitious debt. Some phone calls are reported to involve threatening, aggressive and forceful language and they will often threaten the victims with court charges, jail or deportation.

According to the police reports, the caller requests immediate payment by credit card or convince the victims to purchase a prepaid credit card and to call back immediately with information.

The police want to remind people the CRA will never request for prepaid credit cards; will never ask for information about your passport health card, or driver’s license; will never share your taxpayer information with another person, unless you have provided the appropriate authorization; and will never leave your personal information on your answering machine or ask you to leave a message containing your personal information on an answering machine.

When in doubt, people can ask themselves 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?

If you have received one of these calls, please contact the Prince Albert Police Service at 306-953-4222 or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or toll free at 1-888-495-8501.

panews@jpbg.ca

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