LPS warn of tax season scammers

Mar 4, 2021 | 9:07 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Tax season is underway, and Lethbridge Police are warning residents to watch out for scams.

March is Fraud Prevention Month and police in the city say that with tax time comes the risk of fraudulent calls from people claiming to be with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

In 2020, the Lethbridge Police Service (LPS) Economic Crimes Unit dealt with 24 citizen calls listed as CRA-related scams, with a total monetary value of around $120,000.

“While that works out to an average loss of $5,000 per person, reports ranged from $500 to $30,000,” reads a release from LPS.

Police note that the majority of the scam victims provided their personal information to the fraudster. That could lead to further victimization should their information be used or sold by the scammer.

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The reg flags in each report carried a common theme:

Fear of an arrest of aggressive tactics;
Providing financial information or personal information;
Demanding payment by Bitcoin (majority of the 2020 cases) or by gift cards;
Some being coached on how to operate Bitcoin ATMS, or how to request large sums of money from the bank without being questioned.

The CRA website includes some tips on fraud prevention. It can be accessed here.

by Justin Goulet