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CRA scammers using caller-ID to fool victims

The Canadian Revenue Agency scam has evolved and the scammers are getting better

The Canadian Revenue Agency scam has evolved and the scammers are getting better.

Not only are the fraudsters claiming to be from Canadian Revenue Agency or the police, but now they use technology that allows them to put a CRA, police detachment or even local hospital phone number on the victim's call display.

As far as is known, this hasn't happened in Clearwater.

However, another RCMP detachment recently had a person report that he had been a victim of fraud.

The victim had received a phone call from a person claiming to represent Canada Revenue Agency, saying that he owed a certain amount of money.

He then received second phone call from someone claiming to be a constable from the local RCMP detachment who said he had an outstanding warrant for the victim. The alleged constable told the victim he needed to pay the money owed to CRA to make the warrant go away.

The number that appeared on the victim's caller ID was the local RCMP detachment's phone number.

If the victim had checked he would have found that there was no constable with that name working in the local detachment. Instead, because the call display showed the call as coming from the RCMP, he e-transferred the money as directed.

Only later did he go to the police and discover that he had been defrauded.

The scammers also appear to be getting bolder.

According to news reports, in at least one instance, when a person receiving one of the scam calls said he did not believe what he was being told and would go to the police, the scammer told he him he couldn't do that because the scammers knew where he lived and would blow up his house.

In another instance, when the person receiving the call said he would go to the police, the scammer told him they would kidnap his daughter.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre received 1,251 complaints about fake CRA calls in 2014, with reported losses of about $250,000 During the first 10 months of 2015 it received 5,899 complaints and total reported losses were put at $800,000.

 

The actual number of Canadians contacted by the fraudsters and the amount stolen is suspected to be several times larger than reported.