Tax time means increase in fraud: OPP
Posted Mar 7, 2018 09:21:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Ontario Provincial Police are reminding the public that it's tax time again, which often means an increase in tax frauds.
They're out with a reminder that the Canada Revenue Agency communicates with customers by mail — not through email, text messages, or phone calls.
Asking for taxes to be paid through money service businesses or by gift cards ir pre-paid debit and credit cards is also a red flag.
Police warn that fraudsters tend to be aggressive on the phone, and use fear to intimidate people into paying fake bills.
The OPP are reminding the public to not provide any personal information. If you suspect a call is fraudulent, police advise you to hang up, and verify the information with CRA by calling a trusted phone number that you have found — not a number provided by the caller.
Only call your local police if you are a victim of a fraud — otherwise, you can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and file a report by calling 1-888-495-8501 (Monday to Friday 9:00am – 5:00pm EST) or by using their online reporting tool at www.antifraudcentre.ca or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), or online
