A recent scam which is happening in Mississauga, Brampton, and other areas seems to clone a Canadian government payment alert.
As Canada Revenue Agency’s benefit cheques final batch are issued for the year— in time for the holiday season, it seems scammers are planning to launch their next deceptive ploy.
The fraudulent communication is in the form of a text message which identifies as the CRA, informing the recipient that he/she is eligible for a tax refund.
This is a standard phishing scam where the perpetrator is baiting individuals with the promise of a refund or monetary gain to illegally obtain personal information.
In such a fraudulent scheme, the underlying message as highlighted by the Canada Anti-Fraud Centre on its website is clear: It is “an attempt to deceive you into divulging your personal or financial information.”
Clicking on the link or attachment can infect your device with a virus or malware.
It should be noted that payments like these originate from the CRA, but it’s important to recognize that the government clearly states they do not issue notifications via text messages.
It is stated on the website of the CRA that “The CRA will not use text messages or instant messages to start a conversation with you about your refund.” Payments will be automatically processed through mail or direct deposit for any individual who qualifies for the benefits.
In this particular scenario, individuals may note that the area code (306) of the phone number that sent the text message points to the fact that the message came from the province of Saskatchewan.
Before clicking on any link, it is advisable to carry out an online search to ascertain the accurate contact number for the appropriate CRA department. In this scenario, the tax refund inquiries line is 1-888-863-8657.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre offers the below guidance to assist in averting individuals from becoming victims of such scams:
- Don’t click on links from unsolicited messages
- Don’t download attachments from unsolicited messages
- Watch for spelling mistakes
- Don’t trust a message just because the email address looks legitimate; fraudsters can spoof the address
- Beware of messages claiming to be from the Government of Canada or a law enforcement agency; they will never contact you to offer funds via email or e-transfer
