Waterloo Regional Police Remind Community Members to be Cautious of CRA Scams

Waterloo Region, Ontario –  The Waterloo Regional Police Service is reminding community members to be cautious of Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scams after local residents have reported losing approximately $100,000 in the past week.

In the past five days, Waterloo Regional Police have received several reports from victims who have been contacted by people claiming to be CRA agents. In each case the caller kept the victim on the phone for hours, spoke aggressively to them and told them to pay the taxes they owe. The victims were all directed to deposit their money into Bitcoin ATMs.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service would like to remind the community that government organizations do not use Bitcoin or other commodities, such as ITunes cards, for payment of bills or fines. As well, the CRA will never ask for personal information by email or text message, will never leave personal information on an answering machine and will never request payments by prepaid credit cards.

Scammers posing as CRA agents will use emails, phone calls and text messages to get money and personal information from the victim. Often, the scammer will use aggressive language or threats to scare people into making payments. If you receive a request that you are concerned about, we suggest the following:

• Never provide personal information such as your Social Insurance Number, date of birth, address or banking information.
• Be aware that fraudsters can alter their telephone number to represent that of a government agency or business, including RCMP or other police agencies. Never rely on caller ID to confirm the caller’s identity.
• Do not allow anyone access to your computer or download anything at the caller’s request.
• Advise the caller that you will look up their public telephone number and return their call.
• Remember that fraudsters will provide cover stories in the event you’re confronted by outside people trying to convince you that it’s a scam.
• Keep your access codes, user ID, passwords and PINs secret.

If a call seems suspicious, it’s advised that you hang up. Likewise, if a text or email appears fraudulent, do not respond. If you have suffered a financial loss, please contact police at 519-570-9777. For more information on how you can protect yourself against these scams, visit our website or the Anti Fraud Centre website.

Media Inquiries

Cherri Greeno

Media Relations Coordinator

Executive Branch

Waterloo Regional Police Service

519-570-9777 (WRPS) ext. 8773

cherri.greeno@wrps.on.ca

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