Canada Revenue Scam Clogging OPP Phone Lines

OPP say they’ve been getting a hundred calls a day from people who have been contacted by someone telling them they owe money and need to pay it immediately or face arrest. Unless you’ve lost money in this manner the OPP would prefer you let the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre know you’ve received such a call. The number of calls from people to simply advise they have been contacted is, at times, restricting the OPP’s ability to take calls for service that require a police response.

As for the CRA scam itself, and the immediate demand for cash, Detective Constable Troy Higgins of the Barrie Police Fraud Unit says that’s not going to happen, “I have worked directly with the CRA. They do not phone you and demand money, most of their dealings are done through paper. They do not email you demanding money with a link to click.” Another ‘red flag’ says Higgins, is being asked for your social insurance number. CRA already has it, so there’s no need to ask for it. He offers more advice in our latest Walking The Beat item.