PARRY SOUND, ON-The West Parry Sound OPP is advising people about scams involving the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
On January 10th, the OPP received several complaints from people saying they got phone calls from the CRA stating the person owed them money and there was an outstanding warrant if they were not paid.
This particular scam, however, has been reported in the past and scammers are using this in correlation with income tax-paying time.
If you are contacted by the fake CRA, police want you to hang up immediately if there is anything that seems suspicious.
The CRA will never threaten you with immediate arrest, use abusive language or send police.
They will also never request payment by Interac e-transfer, online currency such as bitcoin, pre-paid credit cards or pre-paid gift cards like iTunes or Home Depot.
The CRA only accepts payment online using a debit or credit card.
If you or someone you know suspects they have been targeted by a phone scam, contact your local OPP, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 and Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.