LETHBRIDGE, AB – With the 2021 tax season now upon us, Lethbridge Police are warning residents to be aware of tax-related scams.
Police say fraudulent calls from people who claim to be part of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) are bound to begin any time now.
This time last year, LPS dealt with 24 reports from citizens saying they were the victim of a CRA-related scam, ranging anywhere from $500 to $30,000.
In most of those cases, the victims gave their personal information to the fraudster, leading to further victimization should their info be used without their knowledge.
Police say there are some common themes among scams to watch out for. Those include the caller threatening arrest or using other aggressive techniques, demanding financial or personal information, or demanding payment in Bitcoin or gift cards.