Better Business Bureau gives tips on recognizing CRA scam
It’s a recurring con that reappears every tax season with a different spin. Getting notified by the CRA that you have taxes owed can be scary, and it can get a lot scarier when it’s a scammer threatening you with demands to pay immediately or face an arrest or even jail time. These scammers usually call to demand money or try to get your personal information by saying you have a tax refund coming. There are ways to tell if a scammer is targeting you. These include threatening language, asking for credit card details as well as personal information. If you have been scammed, or think you have, immediately contact Service Canada at 1-800-206-7218.
“The CRA tax scam call is one of the most frequent scams we hear about at BBB (Better Business Bureau),” says BBB president and CEO Peter Moorhouse. “Although international law agencies have intervened, and even shut some of these call centres down, the scam is still very prevalent, especially with tax season approaching.”