Tax scams and fraud to avoid

At some point in your life, there’s a good chance you might be contacted by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for a legitimate tax reason. Unfortunately, there have been reports of Canadians being contacted (either by phone, mail, text message, or email) by individuals claiming to work for the CRA asking for personal information like a social insurance number, credit card number, bank account number, or passport number. Every Canadian should know that these are scams and should be reported as soon as possible.

Remember: Never click on any links provided in these fraudulent communications or respond to them.

To help you identify a potential scam, the following is a list of actions the CRA will never take when communicating with you:

  • The CRA doesn’t send emails that contain links and won’t ask you for your financial information. However, if you call the CRA and ask them for help locating a form or for a link to specific information, the CRA agent will email you this information while you’re on the phone with them. This is the only time the CRA will send you an email that contains a link.
  • The CRA never uses text messages or instant messaging services (such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp) to communicate.
  • The CRA will never call, mail, or email you to request an immediate payment by Interac e-transfer, credit card or prepaid credit card, or gift cards (such as iTunes, Amazon etc.). They’ll also never ask you about your health card, passport, or driver’s license.
  • The CRA will never ask you for a face to face meeting in a public place to discuss your return, your tax information, or to take payment for a balance owing.
  • The CRA will never threaten you with immediate arrest or a prison sentence for an unpaid balance.

Here’s a few things you can do to protect yourself from identity theft:

  • Never give your personal information through the Internet or by email; the CRA doesn’t ask you to provide personal information by email.
  • Never give your social insurance number (SIN) unless you are certain it is legally required and keep any documents with your SIN and personal information in a safe place. Refer to the CRA website for who can ask you for your SIN.
  • Be careful before you click on links in any email you receive.
  • Don’t share your access codes, user ID, passwords, and PINs with anyone.
  • Keep your address current with all government departments and agencies.
  • Register for the CRA My Account to monitor your tax account and sign up for their email notifications (account alerts). These will let you know of changes made to your accounts (e.g. change in address or direct deposit information).
  • Check your billing cycles and ask about any missing account statements or suspicious transactions.
  • Report lost or stolen credit or debit cards immediately.
  • Ask a trusted neighbour to pick up your mail when you are away.

If you’re not completely sure you’re speaking to a legitimate representative of the CRA, you can verify the authenticity of the caller by taking these steps:

  • Record their name, phone number, badge number, and office location and tell them you’d like to confirm their identity
  • Call 1-800-959-8281 (for individuals) or 1-800-959-5525 (for businesses). You’ll be able to verify the person you spoke to works for the CRA

If you suspect you’ve been contacted by someone fraudulently claiming to work for the CRA, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or speak to someone directly by calling 1-888-495-8501. If you think that you might be the victim of fraud, be sure to contact your local police department as well as your financial institution and credit reporting agencies.