The first day of fall is amazing with crisp cool air, and blue skies. After a busy day, I come home to relax and see an episode from CBC Marketplace episode named “Scam Centres”. I begin to watch and this is an all too familiar storyline discussing the CRA scam that has been going around for years. As an Investigative agency we deal with fraud of all types and unfortunately, we deal with situations like this where customers have been defrauded and call to ask us to locate the people they sent their money to after realizing it is not who they thought it was.
This episode talks about the cyber crimes that Canada deals with and in one situation that massively effects Canadians is the CRA Scam call. This is a call that comes from random numbers some even spoofed to appear as though they are from Canada Revenue, however, are not. They call and say “My name is (agent name) Calling from Revenue Agency CRA. Canada revenue agency filed a lawsuit against your name there will be legal consequences and you will be arrested to defraud the government”. Unfortunately, there are many people who fall for this and become fearful of the potential truth as it mentions being arrested and charged. This is completely false and the Canadian Revenue Agency would never call in this manner if you had any issues with a tax filing. While watching the episode I marked down some notes for individuals who may not watch the episode but still want information about it.
CBC Marketplace noted that with this cam “in the last six years alone more than 60,000 Canadians have made complaints that they were defrauded by this scam and Canadians have contributed more than 10,000,000.00” to the financial terrorists thus far.
If you get this call just block the number and move on however if you call them back this is part of what the conversation will sound like:
When they answer they will say “Investigation Division of Canada Revenue Agency,” they claim they have done a “random audit” and have “found several miscalculations in tax fillings”. They claim it is “a felony and if convicted can carry a sentence of up to five years in prison and a $100,000.00 fine”. This naturally places great fear in the individual and they begin to say how can I resolve this. The number will vary by individuals however they may claim $5,000.00 to $10,000.00 to start and then claim other fees and interest may apply and continually add to this number. One of the main ways you can confirm a scam is how they ask to be paid. In this particular scam, for instance, they will tell you to go to a “bitcoin” machine and deposit the money. If you are not familiar with Bitcoin it is a Cryptocurrency that is untraceable. We have also had calls from clients who were scammed by other scams and paid the scammers with Xbox and similar gift cards they were told to purchase from local retailers.
Now, what if you believe this to be true and don’t have the money to pay? This happened to a gentleman on the show. He had mentioned he did not have the money to the scammer’s and they pushed and told him to take out loans, remortgage his home, borrow from family and friends, take from rsps, credit cards, or lines of credit etc. And this man did to the tune of over $100,000.00 with no way to pay it all back after everything was said and done.
Scammers have been busted in India before however these organizations are sophisticated and continue to grow and think of new scams to continue stealing from their victims. In Canada and as Private Investigators in Ontario we continually see fraud and scams happening and unfortunately, in most cases, nothing can be done as they scammers will set up temporary shops, phone numbers and once exposed will move onto the next scam. If you have been a victim of this fraud please contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. The more we update our law enforcement and cyber specialists the more we can protect our citizens from these crimes continuing.
If you have any questions about fraud, surveillance, investigative research or training please complete an inquiry form below and one of our expert private investigators in Ontario will assist in any investigative inquiry you may have.
Whitney Joy Smith
About the Author
Whitney Joy Smith
Founder of The Smith Investigation Agency in 2014, Whitney Joy Smith’s extensive background as a private investigator is matched only by her passion for the role. A graduate of several respected institutions, including Northwest Florida State College and George Brown College, her early years in life were spent between Canada and the United States. This education, along with her formative years as a private investigator in various agencies, informed much of her knowledge of private investigative laws, regulations, and operating standards in both countries.
The recipient of numerous industry awards and accolades, including the Consumers Choice Award, Best in Ottawa, and many others, Whitney takes pride in working closely with her ever-growing agency to raise the bar, maintain compliance, and meet the investigative needs of clients. Whitney is active in various membership and supporting roles, including the CPIRC, CBN, CAPI, Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and many others. Her experience-driven, thought-provoking articles have been featured in everything from Readers Digest to Business News Daily, and she strives to continually redefine standards for those in the private investigative and security fields. Learn more about Whitney and the team at The Smith Investigation Agency today.
