Phone call scams – Scams and fraud - CRA

What to expect when the CRA calls

Scammers often pretend to be from the CRA when they call. Know the reasons why the CRA may call and when you should be suspicious.

The CRA will not

demand immediate payment by:
- Interac e-transfer
- Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin)
- Prepaid credit cards
- Gift card from any type of retailer
ask for a fee to speak with a call centre agent
use aggressive language or threaten to involve police
leave threatening voicemails or include personal or financial information

The CRA may

verify your identity by asking for personal information such as your full name, date of birth, address, or SIN
ask for details about your file in My Account or My Business Account
call you to ask about a tax debt or to begin an audit process
call you to offer free tax help for your small business or offer support in helping your clients access their benefits and credits
send an automated telephone message to remind you of your filing or other tax obligations

Warning signs of a phone scam

Before giving any information to the caller, ask yourself:

Why is the caller pressuring me to act immediately? Am I certain the caller is a CRA employee?
Have I received any communication from the CRA about the subject of the call?
Did I give the CRA this email or mailing address to contact me?
Is the caller asking for information not reported on my tax return?
Am I being asked about a CRA debt that I do not owe?
Did I recently send a request to change my business number information?
Do I have an instalment payment due soon?

Latest phone call scams

Find details and examples of the latest phone call scams pretending to be from the CRA.

Cryptocurrency scam by phone

Scammers targeting individuals by phone, requesting money be transferred via cryptocurrency to cancel an RCMP warrant for their arrest.

How to recognize it: Scammers claim to work for the CRA and contact taxpayers threatening them with an RCMP warrant for their arrest. The scammer then calls back, pretending to be the RCMP, and instructs the taxpayer to transfer money from their bank account to cancel the arrest warrant, promising to return the money once their name has been cleared. The scammer provides phone numbers and passwords to deposit money into a local coin machine or cryptocurrency terminal.

What to do: Do not provide the individual with personal information or financial information. In addition:

Hang up if the caller requests money. The CRA does not accept payment by cryptocurrency.
Verify the caller is from the CRA.

Extortion phone call demanding payment

What is it: Extortion phone calls from scammers demanding payment and claiming to be from the CRA.

How to recognize it: Scammers will call you from a fake number. They may use a local number or use numbers from local law enforcement agencies or governments.

They may ask you to confirm your SIN and then demand you pay them by Bitcoin or by gift cards.

What to do: The CRA will not use aggressive language or demand immediate payment over the phone.

The CRA does not accept:

Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin)
Prepaid credit cards
Gift card

Caller ID Spoofing

Caller ID is a useful function. However, the information displayed can be altered by criminals. Never use only the displayed information to confirm the identity of the caller whether it be an individual, a company or a government entity.

Sample 1

The first example is a voice message that was received by a CRA employee based in Halifax and contains several red flags you should be aware of:

Transcript:
The reason behind this call is to notify you that we have registered a criminal case against your name concerning a tax evasion and tax fraud in the federal court house. So if you want any further information about this case, please make sure you give us a call back as quick as possible to our direct hotline number to the Canada Revenue Agency Headquarters. That is 613-927-9919, I will please repeat the number, it is 613-927-9919. If we don’t receive a call from your side, please be prepared to face the legal consequences, as the issue of tax is extremely serious and time-sensitive. So have a blessed time.