Scam artists busy as tax deadline approaches

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A lot of us will be busy this week, rushing to file our taxes before next the deadline. But tax season is also a busy time of year for another group — scam artists.

Nearly 20 per cent of Canadians have fallen victim to a con during tax season, according to Ashleigh Patterson, senior editor of Yahoo Finance Canada.

She tells us the fraudsters call or email you, posing as the Canada Revenue Agency; they are “phishing” for your personal information like your social insurance number, passport ID number, credit card information, or even just your address.

This is all in the hopes of opening credit cards or a line of credit in your name.

Patterson says there is a key way to tell if the CRA is actually contacting you.

“If there is a problem, the CRA will first contact you via letter. You are going to get something delivered to your home address. It will look official — like your notice of assessment — and if you don’t follow through with whatever request they may have, then they may follow up with a phone call.”

Patterson notes the CRA will never ask for your credit card number or your passport number.

The deadline to file your taxes is next Monday.

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