There are many types of CRA scams that exist, and new ones are being detected every day.
This season, it is important to be vigilant when you receive, either by telephone, mail, text message or email, a communication that claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) requesting personal information such as a social insurance number, credit card number, bank account number, or passport number.
Typically, these CRA scams fall into three categories:
- Insisting you provide personal information or log into a website so that you as a taxpayer can receive a refund or a benefit payment.
- Threatening or using coercive language to scare individuals into paying fictitious debt to the CRA.
- Urging taxpayers to visit a fake CRA website where the taxpayer is then asked to verify their identity by entering personal information.
All of these are scams and individuals should never respond to these fraudulent communications or click on any of the links provided.
To identify legitimate communications from the CRA, the CRA has provided the following guidelines about what to expect when the CRA contacts you.
By phone
The CRA may:
- verify your identity by asking for personal information such as your full name, date of birth, address and account, or social insurance number
- ask for details about your account, in the case of a business inquiry
- call you to begin an audit process
- call you to offer free tax help for your small business
The CRA will never
- ask for information about your passport, health card, or driver's license
- demand immediate payment by Interac e-transfer, bitcoin, prepaid credit cards or gift cards from retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, or others
- use aggressive language or threaten you with arrest or sending the police
- leave voicemails that are threatening or give personal or financial information
By email
The CRA may
- notify you by email when a new message or a document, such as a notice of assessment or reassessment, is available for you to view in secure CRA portals such as My Account, My Business Account, or Represent a Client
- email you a link to a CRA webpage, form, or publication that you ask for during a telephone call or a meeting with an agent (this is the only case where the CRA will send an email containing links)
The CRA will never
- give or ask for personal or financial information by email and ask you to click on a link
- email you a link asking you to fill in an online form with personal or financial details
- send you an email with a link to your refund
- demand immediate payment by Interac e-transfer, bitcoin, prepaid credit cards or gift cards from retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, or others
- threaten you with arrest or a prison sentence
By mail
The CRA may
- ask for financial information such as the name of your bank and its location
- send you a notice of assessment or reassessment
- ask you to pay an amount you owe through any of the CRA's payment options
- take legal action to recover the money you owe, if you refuse to pay your debt
- write to you to begin an audit process
- write to you to offer free tax help for your small business
The CRA will never
- set up a meeting with you in a public place to take a payment
- demand immediate payment by Interac e-transfer, bitcoin, prepaid credit cards or gift cards from retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, or others
- threaten you with arrest or a prison sentence
By text messages/instant messaging
The CRA never uses text messages or instant messaging such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp to communicate with taxpayers under any circumstance. If a taxpayer receives text or instant messages claiming to be from the CRA, they are scams!
When in doubt, ask yourself
With all that information, it can still be confusing when you get a call or are contacted by the CRA. To help you determine if something may or may not be a scam, it can be important to ask yourself the following questions:
- Why is the caller pressuring me to act immediately? Am I certain the caller is a CRA employee?
- Did I file my tax return on time? Have I received a notice of assessment or reassessment saying I owe tax?
- Have I received written communication from the CRA by email or mail about the subject of the call?
- Does the CRA have my most recent contact information, such as my email and address?
- Is the caller asking for information I would not give in my tax return or that is not related to the money I owe the CRA?
- Did I recently send a request to change my business number information?
- Do I have an instalment payment due soon?
- Have I received a statement of account about a government program I owe money to, such as employment insurance or Canada Student Loans?
If anything about the way the CRA is contacting you seems odd, hang up and call the CRA directly at 1 (800) 959-8281 and confirm that you were just speaking to a legitimate CRA representative. They will have records of any previous conversations that they may have had with you.
I think I was scammed...
If you believe that you have been scammed, it is important to act quickly and report it. You can call the Canadian Anti-fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
To learn more about CRA scams and to help protect yourself against fraud, please visit the "Slam the Scam" website that was developed by the Government of Canada. It contains useful information, stories and more resources.
Credits:
Information in this newsletter is credited to Government of Canada, CIBC, TrendMicro and DataEconomy. Created with images by ChristophMeinersmann - "privacy policy it computer" • freestocks.org - "untitled image" • Austin Distel - "The life of an online entrepreneur. If you use this photo on your site, I would be very appreciative if you would please credit in the caption or meta to "www.distel.co". Model: @Austindistel https://www.instagram.com/austindistel/ Photographer: @breeandstephen https://www.instagram.com/breeandstephen/ " • lukasbieri - "youtuber blogger screenwriter" • gagnonm1993 - "hacking coding code" • katielwhite91 - "ransomware cybersecurity cyber"