Last episode, I talked about how to generally identify scams where the person is posing as a government official. However one of the most common scams people experience is calls from the CRA/IRS and that’s a rather unique case.

After all, if you owe the government any kind of money you know how the CRA/IRS operates can seem a little shifty. For example, in order for them to verify they are talking to the correct person they ask for the person’s SIN which is awfully similar to how scammers would operate.

So in light of this, being able to distinguish between a scam and not is keeping an eye on key identifiers.

For example, in some scams, people are directed to a fake tax website where you need to verify personal information. With this in mind we know the official site wouldn’t ask for personal information out of the blue since it’s mainly used as an open source database. Another key identifier is checking the URL. Not only do official websites have https (meaning it’s a secure site), but you should be familiar with the exact domain in your country.

It’s also worth looking over other behavior that the tax centers portrays through various mediums. Here is a breakdown of what they do.

Over the phone, they will:

• Verify your identity through a variety of identifiers outside of SIN. They will also be asking for your full name, date of birth, and address. They also make a point of explaining why they’re calling as well (which is usually about a specific account like collecting income tax, EI debt, etc.)

They will never:

• Ask for other information outside of what’s stated above. This means they won’t ask about your passport, health card or driver’s license.

Over email, they will:

• Send you notification whenever you receive a message or document that appears in secure CRA/IRS portals. Examples of portals are things like My Account, My Business Account, or Represent a Client.

They will never:

• give away or ask for personal or financial info via email or ask you to click on specific links.

Whenever they send you mail, they will:

• Ask for bank information such as the name of your name of your bank and the location.

They will never:

• Request a meeting in a public place to take a payment.

Lastly if the CRA/IRS ever texts you, remember that they doesn’t use text messaging. They will not communicate to you through any kind of messenger app at all.

As you can tell, sometimes the lines between legitimacy and a scam are a bit tricky, but to better protect yourself, ask the following questions:

• Why is the caller pressuring me to act right now? Can I be certain they’re really a government employee?

Also remember with the CRA/IRS they want to work with you if you owe them money. They will never pressure you into paying if it affects your daily life.