Post by kas on May 4, 2023 9:57:25 GMT -5
Income Tax Scams happen around this time of year (Feb to the end of April every year in North America (I can only speak for Canada and USA). These are things to watch out for, so you do not end up a victim of an Income Tax Scam.
No matter the country, the advice is generally the same, so we will use advice from both Canada (various Provinces) and the United States of America (various States). This post will be generally for Canadians, but the next post in this thread will be from American sites (USA). So you can scroll down if you just want to read the USA sites and relevant advice.
If you have NOT filed and are supposed to, in Canada, The CRA may call you using an automated telephone message. This year (2023) they may call between April 3, 2023 and May 29, 2023 to remind you to file your income tax return. During this call, you will not be asked to give any personal information. Go to what to expect when the CRA contacts you for more information.
The CRA will not use aggressive language or demand immediate payment over the phone.
The CRA does not accept X Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin) X Prepaid credit cards X Gift card
and if you are asked for those, you are dealing with a SCAMMER. Hang up immediately!
Canada lists what the latest scams are at:
www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/security/protect-yourself-against-fraud/scam-alerts.html
USA lists a few scams as well as gives a link to report any scams you come across:
www.usa.gov/scams-and-fraud
For information on common Government of Canada-related scams and to learn what to expect
if the government contacts you, visit Canada.ca/be-scam-smart
Identify a scam or fraud (Province of Ontario, Canada)
www.ontario.ca/page/identify-scam-or-fraud
More here along with how to report scams: www.ontario.ca/page/identify-scam-or-fraud
If you DO get a call from the CRA, how can you verify they actually ARE from the CRA when scammers can spoof the incoming phone number and name that shows up on caller IDs??
www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/security/protect-yourself-against-fraud/expect-cra-contacts.html
More on that here: www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/security/protect-yourself-against-fraud/expect-cra-contacts.html
CRA Interac Payment Scam
We have all (in Canada) gotten calls saying they are calling from the CRA (and in the USA usually they say they are from the IRS). This is talked about on taxpage.com/articles-and-tips/cra-interac-payment-scam/ (and you notice I put the full link instead of short links for transparency).
They say:
Good advice by the Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) Police on CRA Scams and Family Safety:
www.edmontonpolice.ca/CrimePrevention/PersonalFamilySafety/Frauds/CRA
Awareness of these types of scams are also talked about on the news as the more you know, the more you will catch the signs of a scam and the less likely you will fall for the scams. I am not going to quote them all out as they are already there at those sites. I am just supplying you the information to those sites so you can educate yourself and protect yourself. I had only quoted some sites just in case in the future the link is moved or leads to an error. News sites always cover this stuff every year so if those links don't work, search within their site for the latest on tax scams.
Fraud Prevention
Threats and intimidation to pay your tax bill? How to spot tax season scams
cba.ca/tax-season-scams
Income tax scams targeting Canadians – and Americans – have already started
www.itworldcanada.com/article/income-tax-scams-targeting-canadians-and-americans-have-already-started/526036
Sophisticated Canada Revenue Agency scams circulating ahead of tax season
globalnews.ca/news/9475522/sophisticated-canada-revenue-agency-cra-scams/
How to avoid falling for a CRA phone scam this tax season
www.ctvnews.ca/business/how-to-avoid-falling-for-a-cra-phone-scam-this-tax-season-1.6307093
REMEMBER:
CRA never emails taxpayers (personal or corporate) to request personal information of any kind. A phishing email may look legitimate as the sender will add CRA logos and have email addresses and website links with ‘CRA’ in it.
No matter the country, the advice is generally the same, so we will use advice from both Canada (various Provinces) and the United States of America (various States). This post will be generally for Canadians, but the next post in this thread will be from American sites (USA). So you can scroll down if you just want to read the USA sites and relevant advice.
If you have NOT filed and are supposed to, in Canada, The CRA may call you using an automated telephone message. This year (2023) they may call between April 3, 2023 and May 29, 2023 to remind you to file your income tax return. During this call, you will not be asked to give any personal information. Go to what to expect when the CRA contacts you for more information.
The CRA will not use aggressive language or demand immediate payment over the phone.
The CRA does not accept X Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin) X Prepaid credit cards X Gift card
and if you are asked for those, you are dealing with a SCAMMER. Hang up immediately!
Canada lists what the latest scams are at:
www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/security/protect-yourself-against-fraud/scam-alerts.html
USA lists a few scams as well as gives a link to report any scams you come across:
www.usa.gov/scams-and-fraud
For information on common Government of Canada-related scams and to learn what to expect
if the government contacts you, visit Canada.ca/be-scam-smart
Identify a scam or fraud (Province of Ontario, Canada)
www.ontario.ca/page/identify-scam-or-fraud
Be smart from the start
Be cautious when asked to provide financial and personal information of any kind to anyone. Scammers may pretend to be from:
If you have concerns with the legitimacy of a request for personal or financial information, contact the organisation, through their normal channels, before you respond.
Be cautious when asked to provide financial and personal information of any kind to anyone. Scammers may pretend to be from:
- your family
- the government
- your bank
- a utility company
- an insurance company
- a company you may do business with (for example, Amazon or Costco)
- a service provider (for example, duct cleaner, internet or mobile services)
If you have concerns with the legitimacy of a request for personal or financial information, contact the organisation, through their normal channels, before you respond.
Types of scams
These are the most common types of phishing scams that you should be aware of.
Hyperlinks - you are asked to select a hyperlink that takes you to a website that gathers personal details about you such as interests and recent online activity.
Text (SMS) - you receive a text message from a scammer that asks for your financial and personal information through text messaging or to click a link that takes you to a website to try to collect your financial and personal information (such as your full name, date of birth, banking/credit card information).
Telephone - you receive a phone call from a scammer enticing you to give them financial and personal information. In many cases, these scammers have a sense of urgency or tell you that you need to act immediately.
Email - you receive an email from a scammer impersonating a known institution or business with a hyperlink or downloadable document that is designed to collect your financial and personal information.
Social media - you receive messages on social media platforms pretending to be customer support asking you to share financial and personal information.
QR codes - you receive a QR code, usually by email, that takes you to a malicious website designed to collect your financial and personal information.
These are the most common types of phishing scams that you should be aware of.
Hyperlinks - you are asked to select a hyperlink that takes you to a website that gathers personal details about you such as interests and recent online activity.
Text (SMS) - you receive a text message from a scammer that asks for your financial and personal information through text messaging or to click a link that takes you to a website to try to collect your financial and personal information (such as your full name, date of birth, banking/credit card information).
Telephone - you receive a phone call from a scammer enticing you to give them financial and personal information. In many cases, these scammers have a sense of urgency or tell you that you need to act immediately.
Email - you receive an email from a scammer impersonating a known institution or business with a hyperlink or downloadable document that is designed to collect your financial and personal information.
Social media - you receive messages on social media platforms pretending to be customer support asking you to share financial and personal information.
QR codes - you receive a QR code, usually by email, that takes you to a malicious website designed to collect your financial and personal information.
Signs of a scam
Help protect yourself from a scam by looking out for these common signs:
Help protect yourself from a scam by looking out for these common signs:
- Pressure to make a quick decision either overnight or on the spot and are threatened if you don’t comply.
- Requests to keep matters confidential and not share the details with local authorities or family and relatives.
- Urgent messages demanding you contact the sender immediately.
- Being asked to provide money in unusual formats such as gift cards, bit coin and prepaid credit cards.
- An email from an unknown sender with a link or attachment.
- Email or phone requests for financial information (for example, credit card number, bank account information and personal identification number (PIN)).
- Email or phone requests for personal information (for example, Social Insurance Number (SIN), date of birth and security answers).
More here along with how to report scams: www.ontario.ca/page/identify-scam-or-fraud
If you DO get a call from the CRA, how can you verify they actually ARE from the CRA when scammers can spoof the incoming phone number and name that shows up on caller IDs??
www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/security/protect-yourself-against-fraud/expect-cra-contacts.html
If you're suspicious, you can make sure the caller is a CRA employee before providing any information over the phone.
Here's how:
Tell the caller you would like to first verify their identity.
Request and make a note of their:
End the call. Then check that the information provided during the call was legitimate by contacting the CRA. Please do this before you give any information to the caller.
Once you complete these three steps, you can call the CRA employee back to discuss the reason for their call.
Here's how:
Tell the caller you would like to first verify their identity.
Request and make a note of their:
- name
- phone number
- office location
End the call. Then check that the information provided during the call was legitimate by contacting the CRA. Please do this before you give any information to the caller.
Once you complete these three steps, you can call the CRA employee back to discuss the reason for their call.
More on that here: www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/security/protect-yourself-against-fraud/expect-cra-contacts.html
CRA Interac Payment Scam
We have all (in Canada) gotten calls saying they are calling from the CRA (and in the USA usually they say they are from the IRS). This is talked about on taxpage.com/articles-and-tips/cra-interac-payment-scam/ (and you notice I put the full link instead of short links for transparency).
They say:
The latest fraud for the Canadian taxpaying public to be aware of is phony emails that say they are from the Canada Revenue Agency and indicating that there is an Interac tax refund available. They invite the victim to click on a bank icon to log into their bank account to deposit the refund. Of course the bank login details are then stolen and used to steal funds from the bank account. CRA never communicates with taxpayers by email. CRA never pays tax refunds through Interac. They only issue cheques or make direct deposits to known taxpayer bank accounts.
Good advice by the Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) Police on CRA Scams and Family Safety:
www.edmontonpolice.ca/CrimePrevention/PersonalFamilySafety/Frauds/CRA
Awareness of these types of scams are also talked about on the news as the more you know, the more you will catch the signs of a scam and the less likely you will fall for the scams. I am not going to quote them all out as they are already there at those sites. I am just supplying you the information to those sites so you can educate yourself and protect yourself. I had only quoted some sites just in case in the future the link is moved or leads to an error. News sites always cover this stuff every year so if those links don't work, search within their site for the latest on tax scams.
Fraud Prevention
Threats and intimidation to pay your tax bill? How to spot tax season scams
cba.ca/tax-season-scams
Income tax scams targeting Canadians – and Americans – have already started
www.itworldcanada.com/article/income-tax-scams-targeting-canadians-and-americans-have-already-started/526036
Sophisticated Canada Revenue Agency scams circulating ahead of tax season
globalnews.ca/news/9475522/sophisticated-canada-revenue-agency-cra-scams/
How to avoid falling for a CRA phone scam this tax season
www.ctvnews.ca/business/how-to-avoid-falling-for-a-cra-phone-scam-this-tax-season-1.6307093
REMEMBER:
CRA never emails taxpayers (personal or corporate) to request personal information of any kind. A phishing email may look legitimate as the sender will add CRA logos and have email addresses and website links with ‘CRA’ in it.