Saanich Police want to caution residents of Saanich to be aware of a scam that is starting to resurface. This scam is commonly referred to as the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Scam were fraudsters will impersonate real CRA agents. Over the past several weeks Saanich Police have received numerous reports of this scam and in two these cases the Victims lost thousands of dollars.
In these cases the fraudsters contacted the victims by phone and informed the victim they owed the government money. The caller then threated the victim with court action or being thrown in jail if they didn’t pay immediately. The fraudster then directed the victims to purchase iTunes gift cards in the amount they “owed”. In one case the victim lost close to $10,000 and in the other the victim lost $3000.
“We want to remind the public to remain vigilant and to know the Canada Revenue Agency will never ask you to pay an outstanding debt in iTunes cards or other gift cards.” A/Sgt. Jereme Leslie said. “The CRA will contact you, via registered mail, if you owe an outstanding debt and they’ll never call and threaten you.”
When in doubt call the Canada Revenue Agency or report the suspicious activity to Police. Saanich Police also encourage you to have conversations with family and friends who may be more vulnerable to these types of scams.
For a list of common scams you can visit the Saanich Police website at www.saanichpolice.ca or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre.ca.
A/Sgt. Jereme Leslie