“Telephone phishing scams are not new to us,” says Det. Bill Allen with the EPS Economic Crimes Section. “We continue to see members of the community, of no specific demographic, fall victim to this crime.”
Over the last few months, police have received countless reports of this latest scam which allegedly demands an individual pay CRA with pre-purchased iTunes gift cards.
“The CRA would never request payment by gift cards,” says Randy Westerman, Communications Manager with Canada Revenue Agency’s Prairie Region.
Westerman says there are a number of ways members of the public can verify the validity of a phone call, but emphasized that CRA does not conduct business in the following ways:
- ask for personal information of any kind by email or text message
- request payments by prepaid credit/gift cards
- give taxpayer information to another person, unless formal authorization is provided by the taxpayer
- send an email with a link and ask you to divulge personal or financial information
- leave personal information on an answering machine
Complainants have reported that they have received calls from people claiming to work with Canada Revenue Agency. The fraudulent callers have stated that individuals have not filed their taxes appropriately, and that they owe the government additional money. Callers have then allegedly made threats of issuing warrants for their arrest, jail time, and even loss of immigration status and deportation.
“These individuals are persistent and will use virtually any scare tactic they believe will allow them to get into people’s wallets,” says Det. Allen. “Scammers will go as far as telling you that police will show up at your door and arrest you - which is absolutely untrue.”
Following the fear factor, instructions are then given to purchase iTunes gift cards in specified values. The complainants are then told to provide the information on the back of the gift cards. These iTunes gift cards have been purchased from various retailers across the city, including grocery stores and home hardware stores.
“Retailers selling gift cards should also be aware of these scams,” says Det. Allen. “We are currently investigating a file where a woman was convinced she owed the CRA $22,000. The woman visited two grocery stores and purchased $10,000 worth of iTunes gift cards at the first location and then purchased and additional $12,000 in iTunes gift cards at the second location. The woman then sent photos of the cards to the scammers.”
Randy Westerman says CRA are aware of the scams and direct taxpayers to their website for further information.
If you have already sent funds to a potential fraudster, please visit a community station to file a complaint or contact the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.tipsubmit.com/start.htm.
For more information, visit the CRA’s website and contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-654-9426 or email info@antifraudcentre.ca.