FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, May 22, 2015 9:25am
(Ottawa) — The Ottawa Police Service is informing the public on an ongoing scam where a caller states that he/she is from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and attempts to get the victim's credit card number or Social Insurance Number (SIN).
In this scam, the victim is told that they either owe money to CRA or are owed a refund. The caller may also attempt to get the victim to go out and buy a specific gift card in exchange for the money that they owe. This card usually has a personal identification number (PIN), that the scammer will request from the victim.
In some cases, the caller will put pressure on the victim by telling them that the police will be at their home to arrest them if they don't pay right away.
The confusing part for victims is that their phone's call display may show a legitimate CRA phone number however these suspects have the technology to make any number appear on your phone.
More information on these fraudulent communications can be found on the CRA website:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/ntcs/bwr-eng.html
A recent follow-up to this scam is that the victim will receive a follow-up call from someone pretending to be a police officer investigating the case. This call will appear to come from 613-236-1222 but it is not. If you receive a call from someone saying they are a police officer, get their name and phone extension and call at 613-236-1222 and ask to speak with that officer.
The Ottawa Police Organized Fraud Unit is advising the public that are or have been victims of this scam to contact the Ottawa Police and make a report. The call center is actively tracking all complaints and forwarding them to Organized Fraud investigators.
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CONTACT:
Sgt. Jamie Ritchie
Organized Fraud Unit
Tel: 613-236-1222, ext. 5801