Halifax District RCMP is warning the public about a new twist on fraudulent scams where suspects are calling citizens, portraying themselves as working for the Canada Revenue Agency(CRA), and attempting to defraud members of the public.
Earlier today, a call was received from a citizen who stated they were called from a phone number which showed up on their call display as 1-800-803-7267, which is the Halifax District RCMP toll-free number. The scam caller told the complainant to buy iTunes cards at the post office, call them back once purchased, and someone from CRA would be at their house within 45 minutes with the paperwork.
The RCMP has recently seen a dramatic increase in fraudulent activity where callers are portraying themselves as members of CRA and demanding money, or items of monetary value. Often there are threats involved where the caller states that if the complainant does not do as requested immediately there will be repercussions from the CRA.
The RCMP will work to address this misuse of the Halifax District RCMP phone number. In the mean time, citizens are advised that CRA does not conduct their business, or threaten citizens by phone, in this manner. Citizens should not engage in conversation with anyone who is making calls of this nature, should hang up and report the matter immediately to the police and the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.
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Source: Media Release