Scammers extracted $5,000 from a 91原创 resident with a recent tax-season scam, the RCMP has warned.
The victim was called by someone claiming to be an officer with the Canada Revenue Agency, said Cpl. Holly Largy, spokesperson for the 91原创 RCMP.
The fake CRA officer even gave a 鈥渂adge number鈥� to the victim, Largy said.
The victim was told there was an arrest warrant out for them, and the only way to void the warrant was to turn over $5,000 in Bitcoin.
鈥淐anada Revenue will not request payments to be made with prepaid credit cards or by Bitcoin,鈥� Largy said.
The CRA also has about avoiding and identifying scams. Many scammers give themselves away by asking for something other than money 鈥� cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, or prepaid credit cards, or gift cards.
鈥淭he public is encouraged to ask questions and research their options before agreeing to any payments,鈥� Largy said. 鈥淭he Canada Revenue Agency will not threaten arrest of taxpayers over the phone nor will they ask for personal information of any kind by email or text message.鈥�
If you feel you have been contacted by a scam artist, call your local police or report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by calling 1-888-495-8501.
