The Peterborough Police Service warns residents that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scam continues to circulate in our area and becoming more sophisticated.
On Monday April 23, 2018 an officer at our ARU (Alternative Response Unit) desk received approximately 36 calls from residents reporting they had been contacted by income tax fraudsters. Most recently a local college student was scammed out of more than $1,500 after responding to a fake CRA email where she provided the scammers with all of her personal and banking information.
“Anyone can fall victim to these scams. You are their next target,” cautions DC Calderwood. He urges people to do three very simple things after receiving a phone call, email or text message requesting personal information, banking information or money – STOP, PAUSE, THINK.
The latest scam is asking people to pay off a fake debt using gift cards, including iTunes and Steam (gaming) cards.
“Anytime you’re asked to pay off a debt with gift cards it’s scam,” says DC Calderwood. “No organization is ever going to ask you to do this.”
Other tactics the scammers are using include telling people if they are rude to the caller they will phone the police on them or arrest them.
If you receive a scam phone call please report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre toll free at 1-888-495-8501. If you have been a victim of fraud, meaning you have lost money to a scam, please contact the Peterborough Police Service at 705-876-1122 or report a non-emergency crime online https://www.peterboroughpolice.com/report/a-crime/.
For more information please visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre .
