It’s tax time and CRA scams are on the rise

As we head into tax season in Canada (due April 30, 2017), CRA and police are warning Canadians about tax scams that are stealing millions of dollars from innocent people across the country.

While CRA scams tend to hit all year, the RCMP gets more complaints during March as scammers up the ante this season.

The RCMP began tracking CRA scams in 2014. Since then, there have been over 56,000 complaints to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and a loss of over $10 million, said RCMP Sgt. Guy Paul Larocque. In 2017 alone there were 12,000 complaints and $3 million lost through CRA scams. [CBC]

To avoid falling for tax scams, remember these tips:

• The CRA will never ask for information about passport, health cards or driver’s license for any reason.
• The CRA does not request any personal information through emails.
• The CRA is not going to email you links to online forms that would request personal information.
• The CRA is not going to set up a meeting with you in person so you can make payments.
• The CRA does not accept payments via prepaid credit cards or gift cards.
• The CRA will not threaten you with police action or arrests.

To report suspected scams, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or toll-free at 1-888-495-8501. If you believe that you may be the victim of fraud or have given personal or financial information unwittingly, contact your local police service, financial institution, and credit reporting agencies.

If you ever question the authenticity of a phone call, you can always call the CRA directly at 1-800-959-8281 to be sure.

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