Renfrew County provincial police warn of Carbon Tax scam

Provincial police in Renfrew County are warning residents of a telephone carbon tax refund scam. 

On January 25, officers say the scammers phoned the victim and told them that they were eligible for a refund and asked for banking information. The victim provided the information but promptly called their bank afterward and had their account frozen.

Police say no money was lost in this case but they are asking the public to remain vigilant. 

The OPP warns of other situations where the fraudsters will request money be sent to a Facebook account in the form of pre-paid credit cards, gift cards, or a photograph of your personal credit card.

Here are some warning signs from police:

• Urgency — The fraudsters always make the request sound very urgent, which may cause the victim to not verify the story.
• 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 banking institution.
• The request of payment using gift cards — The caller will tell the victim to purchase various types of gift cards (iTunes, Google Play, Steam, Walmart) and then request a text with pictures of the card numbers.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, please contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or report online at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.