FRAUDSTERS are threatening Delta residents with deportation and arrest in one variation on the Canada Revenue Agency scam, reported recently to Delta police.
South Asians are among those who have been targeted.
Paramedics contacted police March 15, to report that a distraught man had stopped at the ambulance station on Scott Road that morning, stating that people were after him.
Delta Police attended and spoke with the man, who advised that he had received a phone call that morning from someone claiming to work for the Canada Revenue Agency. The fraudster stated the man owed $5,249 in unpaid taxes and that he and his family would be arrested and deported if he did not pay immediately.
The man had withdrawn money from the bank and was on route to a Bitcoin ATM when he pulled into the ambulance station looking for help.
“The gentleman made the right decision in asking for help,” said Cris Leykauf, public affairs coordinator for Delta Police. “And we’re very pleased the paramedic called police on his behalf. Because of those decisions the man has not lost any money, and is now aware of this type of fraud, and ways to protect himself in the future.”
Leykauf notes that the CRA scam is particularly prevalent in Delta right now; she and others at Delta Police have also recently been contacted on their work and home phones by fraudsters. Fraudsters may be using phone numbers that appear to come from the CRA or police, but she cautions that these phone numbers can easily be mimicked by criminals through app technology.
“The real Canada Revenue Agency will not contact you suddenly by phone and demand immediate payment, or threaten arrest,” says Leykauf. “If you’re in doubt, hang up.”
The Canada Revenue Agency has more information on scams and frauds on its site at:
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/corporate/security/protect-yourself-against-fraud.html