Police and the Canada Revenue Agency is teaming up to warn Canadians over gift card fraud – as fraudsters have been convincing people that the CRA accepts gift cards as payment.
Officials said fraudsters are contacting individuals through telephone, text, email, or letter and identifying themselves as someone with the CRA or RCMP. Police said they’ve been known to use legitimate-looking phone numbers and contact information.
Those targeted are threatened with arrest if they don’t pay, and they’re told to pay by buying gift cards and sending them as payment.
In 2016, officials said 187 Edmontonians lost more than $600,000 to CRA fraud.
Anyone who may be contacted as part of this scam is advised to hang up the phone or delete the email, as the CRA doesn’t contact taxpayers through those avenues, and to not provide personal or financial information to callers.
Businesses, such as Walmart, are taking measures to help customers who may have been targeted. At the Walmart in Windermere, workers have been trained to watch for large gift card purchases.
