CRA scammer turns ugly after calling a Kelowna cop

KELOWNA – A Mountie became the target of one of those Canada Revenue Agency scammers while answering the phone at the Kelowna RCMP detachment.

When the officer identified himself, the fraud artist "hostile and threatened to issue arrest warrants and file lawsuits," Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey says in a press release.

RCMP are once again reminding the public to be wary of the CRA scam, which tends to peak during tax season, but is a scam which runs all year long.

O'Donaghey says the CRA scam typically involves an unknown caller who claims to be either from the CRA or an officer from a law enforcement agency with a warrant out for the potential victim’s arrest. These calls are fraudulent and could result in identity and financial theft.

“Hanging up the phone is the best course of action you can take," he says. "You do not need to call your local police if you have only received a scam phone call. We ask that you call your local police only if you have been victimized by the scam.”

He says the scammers usually demand immediate payment by credit card, or will convince the target victim to purchase prepaid iTunes gift cards to settle their fictitious outstanding debts.

For more information on fraud prevention, you can check out this RCMP website or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre here.

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