CRA Scam Calls and Texts: How to Tell Real from Fake

Few things are as frightening as a caller saying you owe the Canada Revenue Agency money and the police are on their way. That fear is exactly what scammers are counting on. Here is how to tell a real CRA contact from a fake one in under a minute.

Things the real CRA will never do

• Demand payment by gift card, prepaid credit card or cryptocurrency (Bitcoin). The CRA does not accept any of these.
• Threaten you with arrest or say the RCMP or police are coming.
• Use aggressive or threatening language, or insist you pay immediately while on the phone.
• Ask for personal or banking information by text message or email, or send you a link to "claim your refund."

If a call, text or email does any of these things, it is a scam. You can hang up or delete it.

The most common versions

The arrest-warrant call

Someone claiming to be from the CRA says you owe taxes and will be arrested. Sometimes a second caller pretends to be the RCMP and gives instructions to deposit cash into a Bitcoin machine at a local store. Real tax debts are never handled this way.

The refund text or email

A message says the CRA owes you a refund or GST/HST credit and asks you to click a link and enter your banking details. The link leads to a fake website built to steal your information. Don't click — delete the message.

The "confirm your SIN" call

The caller asks you to confirm your Social Insurance Number "for verification." Never give your SIN to someone who called you.

How to check if a CRA contact is real

1. Hang up, even if the caller ID shows a government or police number — scammers can fake caller ID.
2. Call the CRA yourself at the number on canada.ca — for individuals that's 1-800-959-8281.
3. Or sign in to CRA My Account on canada.ca. Any real balance or message will be there.

If you already paid or shared information

Call your bank immediately, then report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 and to the police. If you shared your SIN, tell the CRA too so they can watch your account.

Stop scam texts reaching you

On most phones you can forward a scam text to 7726 (it spells "SPAM") to report it to your carrier. On an iPhone, open Settings > Apps > Messages and turn on the option to filter or screen unknown senders, so texts from strangers go to a separate list. If you'd like a hand setting this up, our iPhone help and online safety lessons cover it step by step. You might also like our guide to the grandparent scam.