Better Business Bureau sees rise in scam artists posing as tax collectors

The Better Business Bureau is warning people - especially seniors - to be wary as a phone scam in which fraudsters claim to be collecting for Canada Revenue Agency, continues to make the rounds.

Reports of the scam to the BBB's Scam Tracker web page have jumped by more than 20 per cent in Mainland B.C. The Citizen also continues to receive calls and e-mail from Prince George residents who have been targeted.

BBB Mainland B.C. spokesman Evan Kelly said "each and every one" of the seniors he talked to at a recent event in Richmond told him they've received harassing phone calls from scammers claiming to be from the CRA.

"This scam isn't going away and in fact appears to be growing in intensity," Kelly said.

In the phone messages, fraudsters claim the targets owe back-taxes and urge them to call a phone number or risk a visit from the police. When the call is returned, the scam artist attempts to convince them to send money and provide personal information such as bank account and social insurance numbers.

This scam will also show up in phishing e-mails according to the BBB - well-crafted to look and feel like e-mails from the Canadian government. The first thing these e-mails ask is to input your social insurance number - a "big red flag" that the message should be left alone.

"BBB would also like to remind Canada's newest citizens this Canada Day about a scam that showed up this time last year," Kelly said. "Once again it's a phone scam that threatens immigrants with deportation unless they send money to Citizenship and Immigration Canada in order to re-register. These government agencies simply don't operate in this fashion."

The BBB offered the following tips for dealing with such calls and e-mails:

- The CRA does not solicit by phone for payment or any other personal information.

- If you receive a call like this, say you will contact CRA yourself and hang up.

- Do not return the call with number that shows up on call display; it's likely spoofed.

- The CRA does not accept payment through prepaid credit or gift cards.

- The CRA will not send e-mails containing any links.

- The CRA will not request personal information of any kind from a taxpayer by e-mail or text message.

- The CRA will not divulge taxpayer information to another person unless formal authorization is provided by the taxpayer.

- The CRA will not send emails in English or French only: all communications are in both official languages.

- The CRA will not leave any personal information on an answering machine.

- If the CRA needs to contact you, it will be through regular mail first.

- If you don't recognize a phone number on call display, don't answer it.

To report a scam, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre toll-free, 1-888-495-8501 or online at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.