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More concerns shared over taxing telephone scam

White Rock RCMP say to never give out personal/banking information
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RCMP vehicle. FILE PHOTO

White Rock resident Naomi Hittins has a message of caution for elderly residents on the Semiahmoo Peninsula after she received multiple threatening phone calls from scam artists pretending to be employees of Canada Revenue Agency.

Hittins said she has been receiving the calls on a daily basis.

“They say I owe $3,000, which I know I don’t… They’re calling from computers and they threaten you that the police are going to be there as soon as you’re off the phone with them and you will be in jail for 48 hours until you get bonded out.”

“It’s every area code you can think of, I’ve got a whole bunch of them written down.”

Hittins made reports to the White Rock RCMP and to the Toronto Police Service because one of the calls had a Toronto area code.

“I don’t want any old people to get scammed because they’re very, very vulnerable,” she said.

White Rock RCMP Const. Chantal Sears – who issued a news release warning residents earlier this month – said the detachment has been inundated with reports of the scam.

The detachment released a statement earlier this month warning residents of the fraudsters.

“White Rock RCMP are advising the public that con artists are currently calling White Rock residents (particularly seniors) and posing as Canada Revenue Agency employees. The callers have been advising residents that they owe money and now the residents have arrest warrants. In order to not be arrested the victims are advised to send money or purchase gift cards,” the statement said.

The release says this method is not how the CRA collects money.

“To date we don’t believe anyone has sent money/purchased gift cards, however the pressure and fear tactics being used by the callers may cause some citizens to do so, thinking that this is legitimate,” Sears said in the release.

Police advise to never give out personal information to the caller, to hang up and contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.



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