March 3, 2016
1315
RESIDENT LOSES THOUSANDS IN CANADA REVENUE AGENCY SCAM
(SOUTH BRUCE, ON) – The South Bruce OPP is urging residents to protect themselves from being financially and emotionally victimized by scammers whose only purpose is to take your money.
Fraudsters have been very active throughout the area using the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) tax scam. This particular scam tends to peak around tax season.
Recently, a Grey County resident lost $38,000 to a CRA scam. The victim was led to believe that there was an arrest warrant for him because he owed a considerable amount of money in back taxes. The victim made several transactions to a mail outlet in the United States and West Africa.
Generally, there are two common variations to the CRA scam:
Variation 1 - The scammer will inform you by E-mail or phone that you are entitled to a tax refund or benefit payment. In order to receive the payment, you must provide personal information such as your social insurance number, credit card number, bank account number, or passport number.
Variation 2 – The scammer will call you or send you an E-mail message informing you that you owe back taxes as a result of an audit. The scammer will often use threatening or coercive language to scare you into paying a fictitious debt to the CRA. Threats made by the scammers, indicating that you will be arrested, deported or a lien placed on your home or vehicle, are commonly used. At times, the scammer will identify himself as a police officer.
Protect yourself and beware of this scam. Here are some tips to avoid becoming the next victim:
Do not take immediate action. Verify that what you are being told is the truth.
Ask yourself why the CRA would be asking for personal information over the phone or E-mail that it likely already has on file for you as a taxpayer.
Contact the CRA to confirm that you owe back taxes or are entitled to a refund, before providing any personal or banking information.
Be careful of fake CRA websites where the taxpayer is asked to provide personal information.
Remember the CRA will not request payments by prepaid credit cards.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, contact your local police service or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or on-line at www.antifraudcentre.ca.
MARCH IS FRAUD PREVENTION MONTH
(ORILLIA, ON) – The OPP and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre partners are launching their annual Fraud Prevention Month public awareness campaign.
Every year, thousands of Canadians fall victim to fraud, amassing losses in the millions of dollars. Regardless of age, gender and location, people can take basic steps to better protect themselves from becoming victims of fraud. Some basic tips include never giving out personal information at your door, over the phone, through social media, or on dating websites.
During the month of March, the OPP and its partners -- the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Competition Bureau of Canada – will join police services across the country to promote public awareness to help prevent all Canadians from becoming victims of fraud.
“Whether it is vulnerable citizens cheated out of their life savings or young people stripped of their assets and forced to start over, the harm caused by all types of fraud is staggering," says OPP commissioner J.V.N. (Vince) Hawkes. "The money taken is used to fuel other illegal activities, causing further harm to society as a whole.”
“Fraud Prevention Month helps raise awareness about on-line and other fraud to keep people safe," says Ontario minister of community safety and correctional services, Yasir Naqvi. "Fraud can have a devastating impact on its victims. It can strike anyone, but vulnerable Ontarians face an even greater risk. I am pleased to join the OPP and other police services, working together to raise awareness, educate our citizens, and prevent victimization. They have valuable on-line resources in place and I encourage all Ontarians to learn the steps they can take to protect them and their loved ones from fraud, and to keep our communities safe.”
This year’s OPP Fraud Prevention Month media campaign will focus on five topics including:
Emergency/Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scams
Romance Scam
Microsoft/Computer scams
Phishing/Bank Web Site scams
Lottery scams
The OPP will be posting tips and links to various resources on-line. The public is encouraged to engage in the conversation to help recognize, reject and report fraud on social media by using the hashtags #FPM2016 #DontBeAVictim and #OPPtips.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, contact your local police service, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or on-line at https://www.tipsubmit.com/start.htm
“Recognize, Reject and Report Fraud”!
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