CRA scam victim lied about details of crime, police say

Vancouver police say the victim in the CRA fraud reported this week lied when she said she was approached by people claiming to be police officers. The VPD issued a public warning on Thursday after a 58-year-old woman received a phone call from someone claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency and was later “arrested” by two men in police uniforms.

Major Crime detectives have confirmed that the woman was scammed out of $6,000, but at no time did she deal with anyone in person.

VPD spokesman Const. Jason Doucette said based on the seriousness of the information originally reported by the victim, a team of investigators were reassigned to prioritize the case.

Detectives confirmed Friday morning that the victim was embarrassed for falling for the scam and panicked, so she decided to exaggerate her claims to include fake police.

She initially told the VPD that she received a visit at her home from two men dressed in what appeared to be RCMP uniforms. She claimed that she was handcuffed, placed into the back seat of an older-model sedan and driven to a bank near Cambie Street and West King Edward Avenue, where she was ordered to withdraw $6,000.

Then, she said, she was taken to a Bitcoin machine in Surrey where the funds were deposited.

Police continue to warn about the scam.

The CRA will not threaten people with arrest, send the police to collect funds, or accept Bitcoin and gift cards as payment.