Some cyber security experts are warning the public about several sophisticated Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scams have been circulating well ahead of tax season.
“This year’s crop is even more important to me because they seem to be more accurate, no spelling mistakes, no grammatical errors. They look very legit and have the Government of Canada logo and the Interac logo – Things we’re used to seeing all the time,” Sophos cybersecurity expert Chester Wisniewski told consumer affairs,
There are few, if any, clear signs the phishing emails are fake, Wisniewski said, other than the links included in the phishing emails, which Wisniewski said can give unsuspecting victims your passwords, personal information, even that takes you to a web page designed to steal your Social Insurance Number.
In this case the criminals are on the lookout for ransom CRA log-in and password and Interac log-in and password, which means they are likely to have allies in Canada,” he said.
“It’s a very difficult problem and it’s not going to be something that we’re going to see ending any time soon.”
Example of a scam message claiming to be from CRA.
Presented
Example of a scam message claiming to be from CRA.
Presented
Example of a scam message claiming to be from CRA.
Presented
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Center said phishing email scams claiming to be from the CRA nearly doubled between 2021 and 2022. 731 cases were reported in 2021 as compared to 1360 the following year.
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On its website, the Canada Revenue Agency says the CRA will not provide or solicit personal or financial information by email and ask you to click on a link.
The agency will never email you a link that solicits you to fill out an online form with personal or financial details, nor will it send you an email with a link to a refund.
more information can be found here,
Still, despite the CRA’s warnings about these scams, Wisniewski worries it’s not doing enough.
“[The]quality of these scams is so high that the average person might not recognize them. They’re incredibly sophisticated and we’re relying more and more on technology to protect us while it’s time to catch a scam when it comes out.” resists being able to,” Wisniewski said.
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