Union News December 2018
Over the past few years, I have heard many people discuss calls received from CRA Tax Scams. Given the volume of the calls, it has made many of our members face additional pressure in their jobs. Many taxpayers now question if our members are really “CRA Employees”. When I came upon this CBC News article regarding a recent raid of Call Centres in India, I was pleased that the number of calls have dropped.
The recent arrest of several dozen people in India this month has been followed by a significant drop in the number of telephone scams where people call Canadians pretending to be members of the Canada Revenue Agency looking for a bogus tax payment.
The RCMP said the arrests of 70 people at call centres in India employing more than 700 people were first thought to be solely tied to an IRS version of the scam, but the police force says calls to Canadians since the arrests have fallen to "a small fraction of what was reported for the weeks and months leading up to these arrests."
In the most common version of the scam, a Canadian would get a call from someone speaking English, alleging they were with the CRA informing the person they owe a large amount in back taxes that must be paid immediately or they'd risk arrest and asset seizure.
Typically, the caller demands immediate payment, most often via email transfer, wire transfer, gift card or pre-paid credit card.
Despite the drop-off in attempts of late, the scam is likely far from over.
It's a lucrative business for the fraudsters. Since January 2014, based on statistics from Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) more than 1,900 Canadians have fallen victim to it and handed over more than $5.7 million. But more than 37,000 calls to Canadians have been made asking for money over that time period. "Based on CAFC analysis, the aforementioned numbers represent only five per cent of the actual losses," the RCMP said.
While the CRA will occasionally deal with Canadians by phone, they would never demand payment in the form of gift cards, prepaid credit cards, or use threatening language.
With tax filing season approaching around the corner, please be vigilant of any calls and remember that these scams still exist. Don’t fall into the trap and remind your family and loved ones as well!
Ken Bye
Communications Committee