“You’ve filed against the Canada Revenue Agency and there is a warrant of arrest issued under your name.”
That’s the unsettling message that Matt (not his real name) received in his voice mail a few days ago.
He knew the message was part of a CRA scam used by con artists.
So he decided to play along.
Matt didn’t just call the phone number left in the voice message, he recorded the entire conversation.
When a woman answered his call Matt gave a fake name and postal code.
The woman told him “there are some legal allegations.”
Specifically, that Matt owed $4,797 from his previous income tax returns.
His call was then transferred to a man who offered to set up a payment plan.
That’s when he decided to end the phone call.
Matt says the call had a 226 area code and is no longer in service.
Waterloo Regional Police say they often receive complaints from victims of this type of scam.
“Some people get intimidated by it and they call in and supply personal information,” says Sgt. Robert Cowan. “They should never ask you for your SIN number. If you’re older, you’ve obviously filed a lot of tax returns, so they already have your SIN number on file. Why would they need it now?”
He also says the CRA never issues arrest warrants.
If there’s any question about whether you’re being scammed Sgt. Cowan suggests consulting with a trusted family member or calling the CRA directly through the phone number on their website.
-- With reporting by Randy Steinman
