WINNIPEG, MB – Winnipeg Police are again warning people of a Revenue Canada Tax Scam that has impacted some in the city.

For this scam the fraudsters will email or phone the victim pretending to be the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). They will try to obtain personal information and will then tell you that you have outstanding taxes. They are often very aggressive even going as far as saying that they have the police on the way to the victim’s door to arrest them if they do not pay immediately. This causes the victim to become afraid and want to do anything to comply with the fake CRA. The fraudsters also seem to target new Canadians as they are not as familiar with the Canadian tax or justice system.

The fraudster will then suddenly realize how you can immediately pay your outstanding taxes by going to a store and purchasing a prepaid credit or gift card or by going to a money transfer business. Once the fraudster has the details about the card or the transfer the money is gone, often out of Canada, and cannot be recovered.

Police are offering these tips:

• The Canada Revenue Agency has your identity information and will not use the phone to solicit it.
• The CRA will never ask you to purchase gift cards or to attend a money transfer business.
• If you do receive a phone call, contact the CRA, with a phone number that you look up, to confirm the details.

Kevin Klein, Manitoba Post

File photo