Huron OPP urge people to beware of CRA scam; and fake charities

CANADA REVENUE AGENCY (CRA) SCAM

(HURON COUNTY, ON) - The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scam remains a very active one for criminals as evidenced by the number of Huron County citizens who continue to receive calls on this one. 

If you get a call from someone who claims to work for the CRA and makes threats to arrest you, deport you or put a lien on your property for outstanding taxes, DO NOT respond to the threats and demands.
 
In the CRA scam, criminals will attempt to extort money from their victims by telephone, mail, text message or E-mail, after the victims have received a fraudulent communication that claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency requesting personal information, such as a social insurance number, credit card number, bank account number, or passport number.

Fraudsters impersonate the real CRA and are either phishing for your identification or asking that outstanding taxes be paid by a money service business or by pre-paid debit/credit cards/gift cards. They may insist that the receiver of the call provide personal information in order to receive a refund or a benefit payment.

Cases of fraudulent communication could also involve threatening or coercive language to scare individuals into paying a fictitious debt to the CRA.

Other communications urge taxpayers to visit a fake CRA website where the taxpayer is then asked to verify his identity by entering personal information. These are scams and taxpayers should never respond to these fraudulent communications, or click on any of the links provided.

Here are some warning signs:

● Urgency - The scammer always makes the request sound very urgent, which may cause the victim to not verify the story.
● Fear - The scammer plays on the victim's emotions by generating a sense of fear.
● Request for Money Transfer - Money is usually requested to be sent by a money transfer company such as Money Gram, Western Union or even through your own financial institution.

To avoid becoming a victim, the Huron OPP advises you to always first check with another family member or trusted friend to verify the information BEFORE sending money or providing credit card information by phone or E-mail.

If you, or someone you know, suspect you've been a victim of this scam, hang up the phone. Don't feel bad; these are criminals trying to steal your money.

You can file a complaint through the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm, your local police service, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or on-line at www.tipsubmit.com/start.htm  

DID THE MONEY REALLY GO TO A CHARITY IN INDIA?

(HURON COUNTY, ON) - The Huron County OPP reminds the public to be careful when sending money to strangers.

Recently, a Huron East resident received a call from a man purporting to work for a children's charity based out of India. The caller requested a donation and the victim followed through and sent the man a donation of $600. The funds were sent via Western Union and, it is without a doubt, the funds didn't make it to a children's charity in India.
 
Police remind citizens that if an unfamiliar charitable organization contacts you by mail, phone or on-line you should be very careful.
 
Bogus charities often use names that are very close to the names of legitimate and respected charities. The end of the year is the peak season for charity appeals. It's also the peak season for the bogus charity appeals.

Warning signs - how to protect yourself:
 

• High pressure or threatening telemarketers who want you to contribute immediately.
• Someone calls and thanks you for a pledge you don't remember making.
• Requests to use wire transfer services for payment are usually connected to scams.
• If you receive a telephone call, ask for the information to be sent to you in writing. Ask how much of your gift will be used directly for the charity. Ask how much will go toward administrative costs. Legitimate charities have no problem giving you this information.
• Never give out your personal/financial information out over the phone, or at the door. You may wish to make out a cheque payable to the charity. You can mail the cheque later.
• Call the charity. Find out if the organizers know about the appeal and have authorized it and what percentage of your donation they will receive from your donation. Perhaps there is a better way to give, where 100 per cent of your donation will reach the charity.
• Ask if the charity is registered. Contact Revenue Canada at 1-800-267-2384 or search on-line.
• Ask for the charitable tax number of the charity. Question any discrepancies.
• At the beginning of each year, decide which charities you can afford to donate to - send your cheques directly to their head office, and feel good about giving. When approached, you can say that you have already given and leave it at that. Perhaps you will consider their appeal next year when you decide on the charities you can afford to support.

You work hard for your money; don't give it away to a scammer.