The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is again reminding taxpayers to be wary of scams from individuals pretending to be from the CRA. These scams range from e-mails which claim a taxpayer can receive a tax refund if they click on a link, to harassing phone calls demanding a payment on a tax account. The CRA will only send out deposits by cheque or by direct deposit. They will never send out a refund by e-transfer. They will also never ask to use a cash card or Western Union transfer to make a payment. The CRA has provided these general guidelines to follow if a taxpayer should be contacted by someone claiming to be from the CRA.
• The CRA will not send emails containing anylinks.
• The CRA will not request personal information of any kind from a taxpayer by email or text message.
• The CRA will not divulge taxpayer information to another person unless formal authorization is provided by the taxpayer.
• The CRA will not send emails in English or French only: all communications are in both official languages.
• The CRA will never request information about a person’s passport, health card, or driver’s licence.
In addition, the CRA will not leave any personal information on an answering machine. Fraudulent callers can be very intimidating. They can
insist that a taxpayer make a payment to the CRA immediately, and will tell the taxpayer that they will be sending the RCMP to their home if they do not comply.
If somebody is concerned that a caller is not from the CRA, they can advise the caller that they would like to verify their number first. They can check on the authenticity of a CRA telephone number by contacting the CRA directly, at 1- 800-959-8281.