A reminder from Niagara Police not to fall for the on-going Canada Revenue Agency scam.
Residents have been messages from criminals trying to extort money from their victims by telephone, mail, text message or email.
Usually someone claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency requesting personal information such as a social insurance number, credit card number, bank account number, or passport number.
Fraudsters are either phishing for your identification or asking that outstanding taxes be paid by a money service business or by pre-paid debit/credit cards.
They may insist that this personal information is needed so that the taxpayer can receive a refund or a benefit payment.
Cases of fraudulent communication could also involve threatening or coercive language to scare individuals into paying fictitious debt to the CRA.
Other communications urge taxpayers to visit a fake CRA website where the taxpayer is then asked to verify their identity by entering personal information.
These are scams and taxpayers should never respond to these fraudulent communications nor click on any of the links provided.
Niagara Police say if you or someone you know suspect they've been a victim contact your local police service.
You can also file a complaint through the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at http://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm