Burnaby RCMP hopes to nip an old Canada Revenue Agency fraud in the bud during tax time this year by posting an example of the scam.
Last week, Mounties posted a 44 second video of a voicemail message featuring an automated voice.
It’s one of two such messages RCMP Cpl. Daniela Panesar has gotten on her personal phone this month.
For her, the aggressive language used in the message was a dead giveaway, but police are concerned seniors, new immigrants and people still learning English might be fooled.
The voice informs the recipient the message is a “final notification call” from “the investigations department of the Canada Revenue Agency.”
It claims previous messages have been ignored and that a legal case has been launched against the recipient.
The voice demands the recipient call a number provided or face arrest.
“The suspect usually requests immediate payment by credit card or will convince the victim to purchase a prepaid credit card and demand that they call the suspect back immediately with the information,” states an RCMP press release. “Recent scams have involved the suspect asking for payment in bitcoin or prepaid iTunes gift cards. The taxpayer is often threatened with court charges, jail or even deportation.”
Mounties are urging people not to respond to the messages.
To confirm if a CRA representative has actually contacted you, call the CRA at 1-800-959-8281, for individual concerns, or 1-800-959-5525, for business-related calls.
For more information on fraud prevention, visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website at www.antifraudcentre.ca.
