An Okotoks man narrowly missed becoming the latest victim in a rash of telemarketing scams.
According to Okotoks RCMP, the man received a message on March 22 from someone claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) that indicated his bank accounts, credit cards and driver’s license were under review.
When he returned the call, he was told he owed $4,961 in taxes and was required to make immediate payment of $1,450 with the balance to be paid in monthly installments.
RCMP say the man was convinced by the caller and withdrew the funds from his bank account. He was outside the money transfer outlet when he decided to telephone the CRA and was told he was in good standing, and the government would not take this approach to handle taxes owed.
The incident is one in a long line of scams that have taken place in the past tow months.
Since February, many Canadian taxpayers have been threatened into paying fictitious debt to the CRA after receiving a call from someone claiming they owe taxes. The callers demand credit card payment or money transfer, and people are often threatened with criminal charges, jail or even deportation depending on their personal situation.
On its website, the CRA cautions it would never request a credit card, ask for passport, health care or driver’s license information, or leave personal information with another person or on an answering machine.
Okotoks Staff Sgt. Jim Ross said when the man realized the call was fraudulent, he contacted the RCMP to report the incident and make the community aware of the telephone scam.
Ross said anyone could be targeted by the callers, who seem to be dialing numbers at random.
“Before anybody acts on anything like that, they need to do due diligence,” said Ross. “Make calls, do background checks with legitimate sources and not the number left for you to return the call.”
People need to ensure their personal and banking information is protected at all times, he said, and that includes questioning the legitimacy of suspicious phone calls.
“There are so many scams right now, people need to be careful,” said Ross.
The Canadian Anti-fraud Centre (CAFC) lists current and common frauds on its website, he said, so people can check the validity of a letter or telephone call they may receive.
Incidents of fraud can be reported to the RCMP, who will open and information file and direct victims to the CAFC to make an official complaint.
“The anti-fraud centre monitors calls and keeps a running list of scams, so reporting incidents allows them to track scams,” said Ross.
Fraud information can be found on the CAFC website at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
Reports of scams can be made to the CAFC via telephone at 1-888-495-8501 or using the online Fraud Reporting System at www.services.rcmp-grc.ca.
Victims of fraud can also contact the Okotoks RCMP at 403-995-6400.
