The Williams Lake RCMP have received several reports of the Canada Revenue scam, warned Staff Sgt. Del Byron Thursday.
“Our staff are telling us the scammers will call elderly people and tell them they owe Revenue Canada ‘X’ amount of dollars,” Byron said. “They will say you have to pay the money and if you wire it in by a certain deadline you won’t have a problem, but if you don’t then they will call the RCMP.”
On its website, Canada Revenue Agency explained the scam can begin with a phone call, e-mail or letter fraudulently claiming to be from the CRA.
People will be asked to verify personal information, such as a social insurance, credit card, bank account, and passport numbers, in order to receive a refund or benefit payment.
Providing personal information will not get you a refund or payment, but will only serve to compromise a person’s credit, CRA warned.
For further information on the ‘Canada Revenue Scam,’ go the CRA website at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/ntcs/bwr-eng.html.
For more information on phishing and other frauds and scams, go to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
Byron encouraged anyone who receives a call or mail about the scam to contact the local detachment at 250-392-6211.