Saskatchewan

Phone scammers trying to dupe Prince Albert taxpayers

The Prince Albert Police Service is warning the public about a rash of new phone scams from fraudsters claiming to work for the Canada Revenue Agency.

P.A. Police warn public about threatening, aggressive phone calls

After receiving a rash of reports about the Canada Revenue Agency allegedly threatening taxpayers with aggressive phone calls, the Prince Albert Police Service is warning the public about phone scammers purporting to work for the CRA. 

In a release, the police service said recent telephone scams reported Friday morning involve fraudsters randomly calling taxpayers, requesting immediate payment for taxes owed. 

This involved ``threatening taxpayers or using aggressive and forceful language to scare them into paying fictitious debt to the CRA," the release read. 

The caller demands payment by credit card, or try to convince potential victims to purchase prepaid credit cards and have them call back with the card information. 

"The taxpayer is often threatened with court charges, jail or deportation," the release read. 

The police service reminds the public that the CRA never requests prepaid credit cards, asks for passport, health card or driver's licence information and never leaves personal information on answering machines or requests messages with personal information on an answering machine.

The Prince Albert Police Service asks that anyone who received these phone calls to contact them at 306-953-4222 or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online.