Fraud alert – “You will be arrested if you don’t pay”

December 22, 2015 · 0 Comments

Frauds artists use many tricks to try and steal money. Frauds can occur over the phone, the Internet, e-mail, or in person.
Recently Shelburne Police has had several calls about a fraud that takes place over email and the phone. In these incidents, the victim is threatened to be arrested by the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) or the police if they don’t pay an outstanding balance on their tax bill. The fraud artists demand that money is paid immediately and give instructions how and where to send that money.
Fraud artists are essentially actors, using their manipulative skills to make the victim believe they actually owe the government money.
None of the reports to Shelburne Police have resulted in anyone losing any money to this scam.
These fraud artists make these calls and send emails from anywhere in Canada, and very often from outside of Canada. The phone numbers are either blocked, or the call display is masked with a fake number. This also occurs with the emails – they are usually masked with a fake email address.
These types of frauds are investigated by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Anyone getting one of these e-mail scams or fraudulent phone calls can report these directly to the Anti-Fraud Centre online at www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca, or over the phone by calling 1-888-495-8501.
If you are a victim of a fraud by losing money or valuables, be sure to contact the Shelburne Police at 519 925-3312.