Police advise of ‘very active’ CRA scam

Kingston Police are asking the public to talk to their friends and family about the continuing Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) scam which a number of Kingston residents are still falling victim to.

“Numerous Kingston residents continue to be scammed and lose money to well-known and very active Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) frauds,” Kingston Police said in a press release on Thursday, June 21, 2018.

The CRA fraud schemes vary, according to police, but many involve a recorded message or an email from an “officer” or “CRA official.” These calls and emails threaten fines, lawsuits, and even arrests if they are not responded to immediately to “resolve some sort of tax issue,” police said.

“The call is meant to intimidate and cause a panic reaction that prevents the victim from having time to realize it is a fraud,” the release reads.

Police advise not to respond to random calls or emails, and to take the time to contact the CRA directly with any concerns. Find out how to contact the CRA at https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/contact-information.html. To find out more about tax scams and how to detect and avoid them, visit www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/security/protect-yourself-against-fraud.html.

Police ask that the public share this information as much as possible to help provide awareness of these scams.

To report these types of frauds, please contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or visit their website for online reporting at: http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/reportincident-signalerincident/index-eng.htm