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Avoid scams: How the Canada Revenue Agency will and won’t contact you

The CRA outlines exactly what information they ask for, and what they don’t
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The Canada Revenue Agency headquarters in Ottawa is shown on Friday, November 4, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

With the deadline to file your taxes fast approaching, the Canada Revenue Agency wants to make it crystal clear how it will and won’t contact you to avoid scammers.

“Their persistency has created so much fear amongst the public, that many people automatically assume that any communication from someone identifying themselves as the CRA is not genuine,” the agency said in an email Tuesday.

READ MORE: Man threatened with arrest, deportation in new CRA scam

The CRA might contact you by phone, email or mail, but staff would never use threatening language or ask for payment via prepaid credit cards or Interac e-transfer.

It will ask never for your passport information, health card or driver’s licence, and does not use social media like Facebook or WhatsApp.

If in doubt, ask for the employee’s name, phone number and office location, and contact the CRA directly to verify it.

For more information on tax scams and how you can avoid being a victim, go to canada.ca/taxes-fraud-prevention.



joti.grewal@bpdigital.ca

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