OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Apr 27, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) —
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) warns all Canadians to beware of
telephone calls, mail, or email that claim to be from the CRA but are
not. These are phishing scams that could result in identity thefts.
Email scams may also contain embedded malware, or malicious software,
that can harm your computer and put your personal information at risk
of compromise. The CRA does not email Canadians and request personal
information.
Canadians should especially beware of phishing scams asking for their
personal information, such as a social insurance, credit card, bank
account, and passport numbers. Some of these scams ask for this
personal information directly, and others refer the taxpayer to a Web
site resembling the CRA’s where the person is asked to verify their
identity by entering personal information.
An email scam that has been recently circulating notifies taxpayers
that a complaint has been filed against them due to their involvement
in a tax evasion scheme and requests the taxpayer provide financial
reports for verification. This email is not from the CRA. Another
common scheme informs taxpayers that their tax assessment has been
verified and they are eligible to receive a tax refund.
The CRA has well-established practices to protect the confidentiality
of taxpayer information. The confidence and trust that individuals
and businesses have in the CRA is a cornerstone of Canada’s tax
system. For more information about security of taxpayer information
and examples of fraudulent communications, go to
www.cra.gc.ca/security .
Anyone who receives a suspicious communication should immediately
report it to info@antifraudcentre.ca or to the institution that it
appears to be from.
For information on scams, to report deceptive telemarketing, and if
personal or financial information has been unwittingly provided, go
to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Web page at:
www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams-fraudes/phishing-eng.htm .
Stay connected
To receive updates when new information is added to our Web site, you
can:
– Follow the CRA on Twitter – @CanRevAgency
– Subscribe to a CRA electronic mailing list.
– Add our RSS feeds to your feed reader.
You can also visit our YouTube Channel for tax-related videos.
Contacts:
Noel Carisse
Media Relations
Canada Revenue Agency
613-952-9184
SOURCE: Canada Revenue Agency
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