Brockville Police Services want to warn the public about some old scams that have been resurfacing.
According to police a variation of the “Tax Scam” from earlier this summer has been reported. Potential victims receive a call from the scammer claiming to be a police officer and threatening to arrest the victim for overdue taxes. If the scammer does not reach their intended victim they leave a call back number and threaten jail time if they are not called back. Police urge residents to hang up immediately without providing any personal information.
Brockville Police say they have also received a number of calls about a rental scam operating in the area. The new version of this scam sees a fraudulent classified ad placed on Kijiji for a property in the City of Brockville. Potential renters are asked to fill out an application that includes many personal details like banking, occupation and contact information. The scammer also asks for a security deposit and many would-be renters find out too late that the property is not actually up for rent. Police suggest the public set up a time to view inside the property and physically go to the address to confirm it is available before giving out money or personal details. They add you should never send money to strangers and that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
If you have any questions about your account with the Canadian Revenue Agency police say you should contact them directly by calling 1-800-959-8281 or visit their website http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/myaccount/. For tips on how you can avoid becoming the victim of a scam visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s website http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/.