Man loses $11,000 in tax scam

Vernon resident fooled by con man posing as employee of Canada Revenue Agency

Police are warning about a tax scam going around the Okanagan after a Vernon resident recently lost $11,000.

On Jan. 18, the resident received an email and phone call from an alleged employee of the Canada Revenue Agency.

The caller told the man he owed the CRA $11,000 in unpaid taxes and that if the bill wasn’t paid immediately he would go to jail, said Vernon RCMP Const. Kelly Brett.

The man was told police would show up at his residence if he hung up or if he did not pay the money, she said.

The man was told to make the payment that day using a Bitcoin terminal.

He transferred $11,000 to a Bitcoin reference number supplied by the fraudster.

After the transfer was made, the victim realized he had been scammed and went to the police.

“Unfortunately, this victim realized he was being scammed a little too late, and police were not able to assist in the retrieval of his funds,” said Brett, adding there has been a significant increase in these types of scams. “The scam artists will gain your confidence, leading you to believe that you will be penalized by police if the money is not paid immediately.”

The CRA will not contact people by phone or email to threaten or coerce anyone into paying a tax bill, and the CRA does not accept Bitcoin or any form of gift card as a method of payment, said Brett.

To confirm if a CRA representative has contacted you, call the CRA at 1-800-959-8281 for individual concerns or 1-800-959-5525 for business-related calls.