Ottawa police warning of fake CRA tax refund emails

_ (press release) _ (Ottawa) - The Ottawa Police Organized Fraud Unit is warning the public about a frequently occurring scam that has once again emerged in Ottawa.

Over the last week, Ottawa Police has received over 14 complaints from people who have received e-mails they believed were sent by the Canada Revenue Agency. The e-mail was advising them that they are entitled to a refund and to do so they should click on a provided link.

The fraudulent link takes them to a website that appears to belong to the Canada Revenue Agency. In order to receive the refund they are then instructed to enter personal information such as their name, address, date of birth, social insurance, bank account number, driver’s licence number, credit card number, etc.

“Armed with that information, fraudsters can then exploit a person’s bank account,” said Ottawa Police Fraud Unit Sgt. Jamie Ritchie. “Residents are reminded that Canada Revenue Agency does not process refunds like this.”

Anyone who believes that they have responded to such an email should contact their financial institution immediately as well as reporting it to police. Ottawa residents can report this type of fraud to the Call centre at 613-236-1222, ext. 7300.

For more tips about this scam, please visit the Canada Revenue Agency website< http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/scrty/frdprvntn/menu-eng.html

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