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July 10, 2015 - 10:51 AM
KAMLOOPS - That suspicious message you received from the Canada Revenue Agency, yes, it's a scam.
Const. Jason Epp, a spokesperson for the Kamloops RCMP, says the calls are a notification that after a completed audit, the resident owes back taxes to the agency. Epp says the fraudster then asks for immediate payment or a warrant could be issued for the call-takers arrest.
"In several cases, victims have received multiple calls from the fraudster with each subsequent call becoming more aggressive and threatening,” Epp says.
To identify scams that are not part of the revenue agency, Epp advises to be wary if someone asks for information relating to your driver’s license, passport or health card. The agency never shares taxpayer information with another party unless proper authorization was provided. The Canada Revenue Agency never leaves personal information on an answering machine.
For more information on the agency and how to protect yourself, visit the government website.
If you receive one of these scam phone calls, report the caller to the Kamloops RCMP at 250-828-3000.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca, or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015