Tuesday, April 12, 2016

FROM/DE: Southern Georgian Bay OPP Detachment DATE: April 12, 2016 CANADA REVENUE AGENCY TAX SCAM CONTINUES TO CIRCULATE

(SOUTHERN GEORGIAN BAY, ON) – Southern Georgian Bay Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is warning residents about fraudulent phone calls that continue to be received by concerned residents.

On Friday April 8, 2016 concerned residents contacted the OPP to report that they had received a phone call message from an unknown male claiming to be an employee from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The male identified himself as John PARKER an officer with CRA. One resident of Tay Township was advised that they owed an outstanding balance and to return the call as soon as possible. They were also told that if the money is not paid they would need a lawyer because they would be arrested.

A second similar call was received on the same day from a resident of Penetanguishene, ON. The male caller identified himself as an employee of CRA. The resident was told that they owed an amount of money to CRA and that it needed to be paid right away.

The OPP would like to remind residents that they may receive, either by telephone, mail, or email, a communication that claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency however most times this is NOT the Canada Revenue Agency. In these cases, the communication requests personal information, such as a social insurance, credit card, bank account, and passport numbers, from the resident. These fraudulent communications are also referred to as scams or phishing.

The Canada Revenue Agency does not do the following:

· The CRA will not request personal information of any kind from a taxpayer by email or by phone.

· The CRA will not divulge taxpayer information to another person unless formal authorization is provided by the taxpayer.

· The CRA will not leave any personal information on an answering machine.

When in doubt, ask yourself the following:

· Am I expecting additional money or do I owe money to the CRA?

· Does this sound too good to be true?

· Is the requester asking for information I would not include with my tax return

· Is the requester asking for information I know the CRA already has on file for me

· How did the requester get my email address?

· I am confident I know who is asking for the information?

Problems like identity theft are becoming more prevalent, now more than ever residents need to ensure that they secure and protect their personal information. This is key to prevention.

FRAUD – RECOGNIZE IT....REPORT IT….STOP IT….

For more information on fraud, call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or online at http://www.antifraudcentre.ca

Police are asking anyone with information to contact the OPP at (705) 526-3761 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). You can submit your information online at www.crimestopperssdm.com or if you have any information on this crime or any other crime. Crime Stoppers does not subscribe to call display and you will remain anonymous. Being anonymous, you will not testify in court and your information may lead to a cash reward of up to $2,000.00.

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Posted at 11:10 PM