Occasionally, taxpayers may receive, either by telephone, mail, or email, a communication that claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) but is NOT. In all these cases, the communication requests personal information, such as a social insurance, credit card, bank account, and passport numbers, from the taxpayer.
Invariably, the communication argues that this personal information is needed so that the taxpayer can receive a refund or benefit payment. Another common scam refers the person to a web site resembling the CRA’s web site where the person is asked to verify their identity by entering personal information. Taxpayers should not respond to such fraudulent communications. If you have responded to a fraudulent communication and have become a victim of fraud, please contact the RCMP at 1-888-495-8501.