A couple of weeks ago, I received a call from people who claimed to be from the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA).
In two messages, they said the CRA had opened a lawsuit against me for tax evasion and that I should call them back immediately.
Admittedly, I did panic for a moment as I tried to think of anything that I could have done to warrant this kind of attention.
After a conversation with my mom and a quick online search, I remembered the scams circulating about groups pretending to be different factions of the government in attempt steal important information that could be used to steal your identity.
I didn’t respond to the phone calls, and I blocked the number from calling me again.
These messages had me thinking about what might have happened to me if I’d called the number back and divulged my information.
Unfortunately, these scams are very convincing. They can use threatening or coercive language to scare someone into paying debts or taxes that don’t exist.
The CRA has stressed that they will send a registration confirmation email to the personal or business address you provided for online mail service, or send an email notifying you that your account in the CRA website has a new message you need to look at.
The CRA won’t send you an email with a link asking you to give out your personal information, or call you to say they’ve opened a criminal investigation for tax evasion.
According to the RCMP, in 2017 there were 12,000 complaints and $3-million lost to CRA scams.
While I’m not a pro on the subject, I do strongly suggest having a general knowledge of the scams circulating, in order to protect yourself from getting duped.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre estimates that less than five per cent of telemarketing fraud is reported, and that may be related to the shame some people feel after being tricked. These groups are smart and they know what works to scare people into giving up their money. Not reporting it only helps them continue to harass others.
The only thing that stopped me from calling the number back was news stories I vaguely remembered that mentioned ongoing scam calls, and that I naturally question any numbers that I don’t have caller ID. I knew paying the extra $5 a month for the service would pay off eventually!
Anyone who beleives they may have been a victim of a scam are encouraged to report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online, or to call 1-888-495-8501.
