Peterborough Police Services Launch Postcard Campaign To Spread Fraud Prevention

Peterborough Police Service have launched a postcard campaign called "You Are Their Next Target" aimed at getting crucial fraud prevention messaging directly into people’s homes.

“Our Service has done a lot of messaging and education around the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scam yet we are still being inundated with calls from citizens reporting this fraud,” says Detective Constable Keith Calderwood, Peterborough Police Service Fraud Unit. “The scammers involved are extremely aggressive and convincing. There are people today who are losing $4,000 or $5,000 as a result of this fraud.”

One of three postcards available

The Peterborough Police Service’s Alternative Response Unit receives between 15 and 40 calls a day from people reporting the CRA scam. The fraud involves a person receiving a message either by telephone, mail or text message from someone pretending to be from the Canada Revenue Agency requesting personal information and using scare tactics to get people to pay a fictitious debt.

From January to August 2016, approximately 32 people in our area fell victim to the CRA fraud and lost anywhere between $1,500 to $5,600. “Our main message is simple: Don’t make assumptions about who falls for frauds and scams," says Detective Constable Calderwood.

One of three postcards available

“Through this postcard campaign, the message will be delivered directly into people’s homes and into their hands," adds Detective Constable Calderwood. "We want people to know it’s okay to hang up if they receive a scam call. Don’t panic. Don’t react. Don’t send money. Don’t fall for it.”

Through generous funding provided by the Peterborough Northumberland Crime Stoppers and funding from the New Horizons for Seniors, 21,000 postcards have been printed and will be distributed throughout the area served by the Peterborough Police Service: The City of Peterborough, the Village of Lakefield and the Township of Cavan Monaghan.

One of three postcards available

Participating locations include local banks, pharmacies, grocery stores, coffee shops, senior centres, township offices and service clubs.

Mac’s Convenience Stores is supporting the campaign and select Mac’s stores throughout Peterborough will carry the postcards. Mac’s Convenience stores have made it a corporate priority to educate their employees about the fraud in order that they can in turn warn and educate their customers.

The back of the postcard

“Through this education and awareness campaign, our hope is that people will read the message and then mail the postcard to someone they think would benefit from this warning," says Peterborough Police Chief Murray Rodd. "We don’t want one more person in our area to be victimized by this scam. We want people to read it, sign it and send it.”

Peterborough Police also want to spread the message about this campaign and the postcards through the power of social media—they have created the hashtag #postcardsforprevention—so share this campaign with others on your social channels.

For more information on the CRA scam, click here.

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Police Ask You To Be On High Alert Of CRA Scam

With March being Fraud Prevention Month and tax season in full swing, police say it is critical that members of our community are made aware of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scam and know what to do if they receive a fake call.
 
Police continue to receive reports from residents who have received phone calls from someone pretending to be with the CRA.

It is important the community remain vigilant and report any suspicious phone calls to the Peterborough Police Service or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. 

If you receive any sort of communication from someone pretending to be from the CRA, including either a live phone call or a voice message left on your answering machine, please verify the identity of the person calling before taking any action. Do not take immediate action. 

It is important to note that the CRA does contact people directly and will leave a message on your answering machine. That is why it is crucial to hang up if you have any doubt on the person’s identity and call the CRA back directly at one of the following phone numbers: For business-related calls, contact the CRA at 1-800-959-5525 and for individual concerns, contact the CRA at 1-800-959-8281. To report a fraud, please call the Peterborough Police Service at 705-876-1122 or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre toll free at 1-888-495-8501 or phone busters.

Be aware that these fake calls can be extremely convincing and aggressive. The fraudsters may threaten a person with an impending lawsuit or state that a warrant will be issued for their arrest if they do not pay the fictitious debt. The fraudster may leave a call back number or pose as police officers. When you call back the fake number, you may get a person on the phone pretending they are from the CRA. Only use the phone numbers provided in this post or visit the CRA’s website here.

In an effort to prevent you from falling prey to these cons, the CRA is releasing voice recordings of the scams that are currently targeting taxpayers.

These are scams and taxpayers should never respond to these fraudulent communications, or click on any of the links provided. Do not give out any personal information, including credit card information, or your Social Insurance Number over the phone until you have done your due diligence to ensure it is not a fraud by hanging up and contacting the CRA directly.

Please keep in mind:
 
The CRA:
· never requests prepaid credit cards;
· never asks for information about your passport, health card, or driver's licence;
· never shares your taxpayer information with another person, unless you have provided the appropriate authorization; and
· never leaves personal information on your answering machine or asks you to leave a message containing your personal information on an answering machine.
 
When in doubt, ask yourself the following:
·  Is there a reason that the CRA may be calling? Do I have a tax balance outstanding?
·  Is the requester asking for information I would not include with my tax return?
·  Is the requester asking for information I know the CRA already has on file for me?
·  How did the requester get my email address or telephone number?
·  Am I confident I know who is asking for the information?
 
For more information, please visit here.

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