The Lacombe Police Service (LPS) would like bring to the public’s attention to an increase in recent telephone scams where the caller claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) but is not. These calls are fraudulent and could result in identity and financial theft.
Some methods used by the caller claiming to be from the CRA include using forceful and aggressive language in an attempt to scare the taxpayer to pay a fictitious debt to the CRA, the caller advises the taxpayer they owe outstanding taxes to the CRA and ask for immediate payment by credit card and the taxpayer is often threatened with court charges, jail time and even deportation if they do not pay. These types of calls are not from the CRA.
The CRA has specific guidelines in place for when they do call to ensure your personal information is protected.
If a taxpayer receives a call from the CRA and wants to confirm the authenticity, they can call 1-800-959-5525 for business related calls or 1-800-959-8281 for individual related calls.
If you receive such a call as described above, please hang up and report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or toll free at 1-888-495-8501.
If you feel that you have been a victim of fraud or have given out personal or financial information unwittingly, please contact the LPS at 403-782-3279 or your local police agency.