Elizabeth Cooper has received six calls over the last month from a man claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Service that she suspects is a scam artist at work.
The recording claims to be from a man who refers to himself as revenue officer Ryan Smith, and the man tells Cooper that her income tax return has been audited and she’s “in big trouble”.
The man said Cooper must not disregard the message and to call him back immediately.
Cooper, however, had no intention of falling prey to the con artist and didn’t call back, even after six calls.
“I knew it was a scam and was thoroughly disgusted,” she said.
“I’m worried that other seniors and people are receiving these calls as well, and are actually calling him back. I had similar calls last year as well, and didn’t respond to any of them either.”
Sgt. Kris Wood, a spokeswoman for the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP, advised people to take Cooper’s advice and not call back callers they suspect may be trying to pull a fast one on them.
She said any correspondence from the Canada Revenue Service is typically by letter, not by phone.
“Never call them back,” Wood said.
“These scam artists usually get people’s personal information from the internet by hacking, and that information can be used in this type of scam. Never provide personal information over the phone.”
Wood recommended people who receive these calls to contact the Canada Revenue Service directly to report the calls and determine if an agency official actually made them.
If the calls are fraudulent, she said then people should call the RCMP detachment’s main switchboard and make a report.
She said they should also call the Fraud Hotline at 1-888-495-8501, or check out the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at www.antifraudcentre.ca, which collects information and criminal intelligence on such matters as mass marketing fraud, Internet fraud and identification theft complaints.
“We’re not getting an unusual number of reports of calls like this so far this year, but those that do get them should make sure they call the police and make a report,” Wood said.