Leduc RCMP has been receiving numerous complaints regarding tax scams. This fraud approach most commonly involves individuals impersonating Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) or sometimes RCMP officers.
According to Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the complaints received by the Leduc RCMP thus far, there are two variations of the fraud.
The first variation involves the recipient being told that they have an outstanding refund but in order to receive the money they must provide personal information. This personal information which includes banking information is then used later to obtain funds from the victim.
In the second variation, the fraudsters try to scam money from individuals or businesses by claiming they owe the CRA money as a result of an audit on their taxes. A payment must be made immediately to avoid arrest by the RCMP as there is an outstanding warrant. In some cases, individuals may face deportation if the payment isn’t received prompt. Payment is usually requested through a money wire or prepaid gift cards.
Neither the CRA nor the RCMP will request personal information from you over the phone or email with respect to banking information. These agencies will never request a wire transfer or payments with prepaid gift cards. In fact, no reputable company would ask you to make payments that way.
Report any suspicious complaints to the RCMP 780-980-7267 and to the anti-fraud centre by phoning toll free number 1-888-495-8501.
For more tips on how to protect yourself or to check out the latest fraud scams to protect yourself and your family go to http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or visit the Canada Revenue Web page at www.cra-arc.gc.ca/ntcs/bwr-eng.html.