Nova Scotians are reporting an increased number of calls from fraudsters pretending to be from the Canada Revenue Agency.
The RCMP are reminding the public to be cautious when receiving phone calls or emails from people claiming to be from the CRA.
They say the CRA will never ask for information about your passport, health card or driver’s license.
They would also never leave personal information on an answering machine, nor would they ask you leave such information on a message machine either.
When in doubt, you should ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I expecting additional money from the CRA?
- Does this sound too good to be true?
- Is the requester asking for information I would not include with my tax return?
- Is the requester asking for information I know the CRA already has on file for me?
- How did the requester get my email address or telephone number?
- Am I confident I know who is asking for the information?
- Is there a reason that the CRA may be calling?
- Do I have a tax balance outstanding?
If you do receive a suspicious email or call, you are asked to report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
There’s more information on security of taxpayer information and fraudulent communications HERE
