VANCOUVER – Vancouver Police have confirmed that the victim in the CRA fraud reported this week exaggerated her report, and at no time was she physically approached by people claiming to be police officers.
The VPD issued a public warning on Thursday regarding a report that a 58-year-old woman had received a phone call from someone claiming to be from the CRA and was later “arrested” by two men in police uniforms.
Major Crime detectives have confirmed that the woman was scammed out of $6,000, but at no time did she deal with anyone in person. This CRA scam was no different than other telephone scams reported in the past.
“Based on the seriousness of the information originally reported by the victim, a team of Major Crime investigators were reassigned to focus on and prioritize this incident. Detectives confirmed this morning that the victim was embarrassed for falling for the scam and panicked, deciding to exaggerate her story to include fake police,” says Constable Jason Doucette, VPD. “Our officers will continue with their investigation and will consider available options.”
Meanwhile in Surrey, RCMP officers received a report this month from a member of the community who was defrauded out of $18,000. The individual had fallen victim to a telephone scam, in which fraudsters posed as representatives of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
The fraudsters contact members of the public and falsely assert that the person they are speaking with owes a large tax bill or penalty. They often use threatening language, and pressure their victims by leading them to believe they are facing an arrest, or other legal action unless they immediately pay a sum of money.
The victim in Surrey was contacted on the telephone by a man and a woman posing as CRA “officers”. They told the victim that they had a warrant, and in order to resolve the warrant they would have to pay. The men ordered the victim to exchange Canadian Currency into Bitcoins and then transfer that currency to them. Out of fear of being arrested, the victim transferred the money.
“People can be vulnerable to this type of scam when they are unsure of how taxes are collected in Canada,” said Cpl Elenore Sturko. “We want to share important information about tax collection, and to assure the public, that they will not be threatened as part of the tax collection process.”
Being familiar with the following information can help you avoid becoming a victim of fraud. We encourage you to share this information.
The CRA will NEVER:
- Use aggressive or threatening language
- Threaten arrest or send police
CRA does not accept payment by:
- Prepaid credit cards or gift cards (such as iTunes, Home Depot, etc.)
- E-Transfer/Digital currency (such as Bitcoin, Steam cards, etc.)
- Wire Transfer (such as Western Union, Money Gram, etc.)
The CRA accepted payment methods are:
- Online banking
- Debit card
- Pre-authorized debit
- Credit card or Pay Pal through a third-party service provider[
If you are not sure the call you received is from the CRA, avoid taking any action as a result of pressure or threats from suspicious callers. Confirm the status of your tax accounts and verify whether the communication is really from the CRA by calling 1-800-959-8281 or by checking My Account at canada.ca/my-cra-account. You will never be penalized for double-checking that you’re talking to the real CRA.
For more information on frauds and scams, and how to protect yourself, visit the Surrey RCMP website or visit canada.ca/taxes-fraud-prevention.
