Do you know that more than a thousand Canadians have fallen victims for CRA scams last year? They?ve collectively lost over $4 million and the majority of scammers are still out there, victimizing even those who are struggling financially.
Unbelievable Turn of Events
A student in North Bay have fallen victim to the same telephone tax scam and faced a huge financial loss. Thankfully, a kind stranger heard of her ordeal and donated $600 to help her cope with her financial losses. The stranger gave her $600 just hours after she shared that fraudsters claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency were able to scam her out of money.
An Extraordinary Act of Kindness
Beverly, not her real name, the 29-year old student, was moved to tears as she shared how moved she was that someone who doesn?t know her at all would help her out in her time of need. She also expressed wanting to thank the donor in person.
The donor, who remains anonymous as Dan T, shared that he knows how it feels to fall victim to a phone scam, inferring that the donor was a victim of the same scam that targeted Beverly, if not some other type of fraud.
The Scam Story
Beverly, just like the other victims of the same scam, shared that the con started when she received a pre-recorded voicemail warning her that she is facing arrest. The digital voice claimed to be from the tax department of the Canada Revenue Agency and said that there is a lawsuit that they?ll be filing under Beverly?s name with a warrant for her arrest. She was told to call them back via a return phone number.
Beverly was aware of CRA fraud but said that she panicked and thought that the call was legitimate, especially after the call informed her that an officer will call to read her rights and another call that indicates that it is from the Ontario Provincial Police detachment flashed in her screen. She then pleaded to the person she thought was a police officer for about 3 hours to no avail. The caller then instructed her to pay $600 in Bitcoin currency to avoid getting arrested and facing a lawsuit. After she paid that, she was told that she needs to pay another $400 for court costs and officer?s fees. She then ended the conversation and called the police who informed her that she fell for a scam.
Canadians Beware!
It is to be noted that the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reported that about 1,000 Canadians fell for the same type of scam in 2017, collectively losing about $4 million.
Though it is heartwarming to hear of news about people helping scam victims, we must not be side-tracked by the fact that Toronto phone scams are rampant and it will still be best to not fall victim to them. We must arm ourselves with knowledge, read up on scam news, and make sure to take the right steps forward once a phone scam is suspected. Contact us for private investigation services if you, or someone you know, needs help.
