North Bay Police are warning of a new scam in Northern Ontario and is urging people to ignore phone calls from those who claim to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Such scams are fraudulent says law enforcement, with callers claiming to be from the CRA to extract identity and even financial data from unsuspecting members of the public. The scam artists use this information for purposes of identity theft and to steal money, and as it usually the case, police are saying vulnerable people such as the aged should be extra vigilant.

One scam method is for the caller to pose as a CRA agent and say that the owner will be arrested, taken to jail, or have bank account seized if payments are not made immediately. Callers typically ask for the victim to pay money instantly through a credit card, so people should be extra careful about any calls that demand credit card payments.

If you get such a call, hang up immediately and report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by telephone at 1-888-495-8501 (from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time) or through their online reporting tool at http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/reportincident-signalerincident/index-eng.htm

If you suspect you or a family member may be a victim of fraud or have been tricked into giving personal or financial information, contact police.

The Canada Revenue Agency:

•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.

For more information on the Canada Revenue Agency and this telephone scam, visit http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/security