By now, plenty of us have been receiving our tax papers such as T-4 slips.
But there are also many who have been targeted by would-be identity thieves who pose as Canada Revenue Agency representatives and prey on people's fears that government will come knocking at the door if they don't comply.
Some fraudulent emails might even look remotely legitimate ó copy-pasting the Canada Revenue Agency's logo from its website to make electronic correspondence look legitimate is child's play for scammers, who are also known to use a similar tactic throughout the year by posing as representatives from big banks asking for personal information.
Other times, the con artists might attempt a similar approach over the phone.
But their end game is always the same. Convince a victim they are actually representatives from a company or government agency and then take that person for all he or she is worth.
So it's really important to spread the word ó neither the Canada Revenue Agency nor any financial institution will ever ask a person to provide sensitive personal information by email. They also won't ask for personal information by text message or request payments by prepaid credit cards.
"Taxpayers should be vigilant when they receive, either by telephone, mail, text message or email, a fraudulent communication that claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency requesting personal information such as a social insurance number, credit card number, bank account number, or passport number," says the Canada Revenue Agency's website.
"Caller ID is a useful function. However, the information displayed can be altered by criminals. Never use only the displayed information to confirm the identity of the caller whether it be an individual, a company or a government entity."
The Sundre RCMP, as well as departments throughout the province, has also recently cautioned Albertans to be aware of ongoing attempts to trick people into giving up sensitive information.
"These culprits insist that this personal information is required so that the taxpayer can receive a refund or benefit payment. Cases of fraudulent communication have also involved threatening or coercive language to intimidate individuals into paying fictitious debts to the Canada Revenue Agency or face arrest," said police.
Anyone who suspects having been contacted by a scammer should report the deceptive telemarketing to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or by calling 1-888-495-8501.
If you suspect you may be the victim of fraud or have been tricked into giving personal or financial information, don't be embarrassed ó it's not your fault. Be sure to contact the RCMP. The Sundre detachment can be reached at 403-638-3675.
