Media Advisory - Crush the CRA Scam

MILTON, ON, March 13, 2017 /CNW/ - Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Financial Crime Unit (FCU) would like to remind the public that March is Fraud Prevention Month. This month is dedicated to an educational awareness campaign that encourages Canadians to recognize fraud, and report fraud. March might be fraud prevention month, but unfortunately every day, is a work day for fraudsters. Fraud cannot be stopped by arrests alone, but fraud can be stopped through public awareness. The RCMP would like to remind the public to be cognizant of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scam. Although the RCMP has seen a significant decrease in the amount of losses following a large number of arrests conducted by authorities in India, the fraud continues. In addition to the fraudsters threats of arrest, deportation, assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, bombings, and murder; the fraudsters now appear to be reaching out to previous victims with a promise of a "refund" on their original losses. They then follow-up with the victim via email and or a phone call explaining that if the victim agrees to make an "administrative payment" of 5% of their original loss, they will get their money back.

To counter this fraud, the RCMP has created a new two stage public awareness campaign:

STAGE 1: Starting with this public service announcement: where we are requesting that everyone in Canada, share this message with their family and friends through word of mouth, email, and all forms of social media. ONLY if we are able to bring this to the attention of all Canadians, will we be successful in stopping this scam. We are challenging every Canadian to share this message. We are challenging Canadians to bring this to the attention of Canadian celebrities and challenge them to use their unique position, to assist us in stopping further victimization. That next victim could be your family member or friend. Please help us to crush this scam.

STAGE 2: A few days after the aforementioned public service announcement is released, we will be emailing thousands of victims and complainants that have been identified by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center. Every person receiving these emails will be blind carbon copied to ensure that privacy is maintained. We are attempting to strategically engage those who have previously had direct contact with these fraudsters, especially those who have lost money. Through this process we hope to prevent further victimization and expand the reach of our message.

Please join in the discussion and help to crush the CRA scam. #CrushTheCRAscam #CombattezLaFraudeARC

If you or a family member has fallen victim to this fraud, please report it to your local police service, as well as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC). There are two ways to make a report to the CAFC; either by phone at 1-888-495-8501 (9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) or through their online reporting tool at http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/reportincident-signalerincident/index-eng.htm

If you would like to have a presentation about these types of fraud and what to look out for, please contact our media relations officer, Sergeant Penny Hermann at 905-876-9571 or email penny.hermann@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

For further information: Sgt. Penny Hermann, RCMP Media Relations, "O" Division (Ontario), PHONE #905-876-9571

Media Advisory - Crush the CRA Scam

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