Fraudsters are always trying to come up with new ways to rip off the unsuspecting. Two new scams making the rounds in Alberta involve callers demanding payment of electricity bills and income taxes, said Scott Seymour, spokesman for Service Alberta.
Fraudsters are always trying to come up with new ways to rip off the unsuspecting.
Two new scams making the rounds in Alberta involve callers demanding payment of electricity bills and income taxes, said Scott Seymour, spokesman for Service Alberta.
Cochrane resident Anita Wirth received a voicemail on July 1 at 9:30 a.m. from a man claiming to be from the CRA. Wirth said when she called back at approximately 11 a.m., alarm bells went off pretty quickly for her that the call was not legitimate.
“He actually answered ‘CRA Tax Audit Centre' or something. He began getting very rude and unprofessional,” she said. “I said, ‘That's really odd, my returns are done by an accountant.' That's when I thought something is not right here.”
Wirth said she was told there had been a miscalculation in her 2008 to 2013 taxes and she owed $960.
“He told me if I wanted to dispute this, he'd see me in court. I asked what my other option was and he told me I could pay it off right now,” she said. “I told him I don't want to pay this off, I don't have a statement or anything and I don't think it's real.”
Wirth said the man hung up when she asked to speak to his supervisor.
“It is scary to get a message like this,” she said. “Then I realized it was July 1 and they wouldn't be working. But I did think ‘what did I do wrong?'”
Seymour was not able to comment on the number of cases that have been reported.
“We heard about it through the RCMP. They gave our consumer investigations unit a heads up about the Direct Energy scam specifically and we found out from the Utilities Consumer Advocate that it was also an Enmax thing,” he said. “It's just those two energy companies as far as we've heard so far.”
The scams are similar: a resident receives a call from someone claiming to be from the CRA or one of the two utility companies. The caller tells the resident he or she owes back taxes as a result of an audit, or the electricity account is in arrears and a payment needs to be made immediately.
Residents are threatened with legal action or that their electricity will be cut off if they don't comply. Some residents are threatened with deportation if they fail to pay their back taxes. In the electricity company scam, the caller asks the resident to make payment using a pre-paid credit card or via an online payment service like PayPal.
However, according to Seymour, the CRA would not request payment of taxes over the phone. While electricity companies may take credit card information over the phone, Seymour said they would not ask the resident to use a pre-paid card or online payment service.
Seymour said these particular scams don't appear to be targeting seniors or other vulnerable groups.
“We've heard of people of all groups getting the calls,” he said. “Seniors are obviously a group we're mindful of. We ask people to tell their friends and family with the idea of protecting more vulnerable groups like seniors.”
Seymour said there are a number of things consumers can do to protect themselves and determine if a call is legitimate.
First, ask the caller for information - such as an address or date of birth - that only you and a legitimate supplier would know.
“Your payment history, including the date and how much you would have paid on your last bill, those are things that only the retailer is going to know,” Seymour said. “I think the best thing you can do is tell them you're going to hang up and call them back using the number that's in the phone book. You can do that with the energy companies and the CRA.”
Never provide personal or financial information over the phone and do not fall victim to the pressure tactics these kinds of fraudsters utilize.
“The long and short of it is, don't send any money, don't arrange for any payment,” Seymour said. “Ask the questions. Or better yet, skip all that. Hang up and call (the real entity) back and ask them if they just called you.”
If you believe you've received one of these calls, Seymour recommends you call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre toll-free at 1-888-495-8501. Reports can also be filed online at antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
And if you've already sent payment to someone you now believe may not be legitimate, contact your local RCMP detachment.
