Nothing is for sure but death and taxes, and now apparently, tax scammers.
North Vancouver RCMP are again warning the public as tax time draws out fraudsters looking to make a dishonest buck.
A frequent tactic used by con artists is to pose as a Canada Revenue Agency employee either claiming the victim owes a great deal of money or is due for a refund that can be claimed only if they hand over sensitive personal information.
The CRA does not make any cold calls to demand payment or offer money.
“It is an entirely criminal operation and one that can easily be avoided by using some discernment and common sense,” read an RCMP press release issued on Tuesday.
Less than 48 hours later, a North Vancouver man fell victim.
Police say the resident received a call from a man with an Indian accent identifying himself as a CRA staff member.
Intimidatingly, he warned the victim he owed $2,000 in back taxes.
“He was instructed to immediately pay with iTunes cards or face seven years’ imprisonment,” said Cpl. Richard De Jong, North Vancouver RCMP spokesman.
The victim complied and purchased the cards and handed over the passwords over the phone.
It wasn’t until they called back again that same day asking for more money that the victim realized it was a scam.
But by then it was too late. The money had already been transferred and was unrecoverable.
“CRA and iTunes have never (been) and will never (be in) a working relationship,” De Jong said.
If you want to confirm that a CRA representative has contacted you, call the CRA at 1-800-959-8281 for individual concerns or 1-800-959-5525 for business-related calls.
Anyone who suspects they have been targeted by an attempted fraud should report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
