Police continue to warn of a Canada Revenue Agency scam after a Victoria man was defrauded out of $11,000 in an aggressive phone scheme that could have been worse had staff at the man’s bank not intervened.
VicPD reported the man was the victim of an elaborate fraud scheme in which multiple callers claim to represent the CRA, Victoria Police Department and even 911 to try to convince an individual they are in tax arrears and must make immediate payment or risk imminent arrest.
On March 28, the Victoria man was contacted via telephone and directed to make a series of transfers via a Bitcoin ATM machine at Heckler’s Bar and Grill, below the Ramada Inn on Gorge Road. The scammers claimed the transfers would cover his arrears and provide a “deposit” amount to ensure the victim appeared in court. The man lost over $11,000.
A second call came later, from someone claiming to be a VicPD officer, who advised the man to withdraw more funds from his account and, while at the bank, to stay on the phone while the transaction completed.
It was during this time that the bank staff recognized a scam at work and questioned the person on the other end of the phone, at which point the caller hung up.
Despite reporting the fraud to police and the Bitcoin agency, VicPD say it is unlikely the man will see any of his money back.
After hearing about the CRA scam, Victoria resident Mohammed Azhar contacted the News about a similar scam attempt in which he was contacted two different times last Friday. The first call came from someone claiming to be from Canada Customs and Immigration. The caller, who identified himself as Jack Miller and offered up both a file and badge number, indicated that someone in Azhar’s home country of Pakistan had filed a case against him. To settle the matter, Azhar was told, he needed to deposit $3,800 into a Bitcoin account.
Having dealt with the federal department in past, he knew no such account existed and he ended the call. He phoned 911 to report the suspicious request and was told by police that it was a scam. Oddly enough, the caller’s number showed as the legitimate number for CCI, Azhar said, leaving him to wonder whether technology was used to illegally use the agency’s phone number.
“These types of persons should be in jail,” he said, adding his hope that sharing his story would help others be aware of such potential frauds.
VicPD advises that CRA does not take payment by Bitcoin, and seldom, if ever uses the telephone to deal with claims. If you believe a caller is attempting to commit fraud against you, hang up.
Police recommend talking to someone else about it afterward if not sure whether it’s legitimate, or call VicPD at 250-995-7654 to run the scenario past a police officer.