Authorities are investigating after a con artist pretending to be from the Canada Revenue Agency defrauded a Flin Flon woman of more than $33,000.
A second woman in the community has lost more than $7,000 in a scam police say uses the threat of imprisonment to scare people into repaying non-existent back taxes.
The women, each between 50 and 60 years old, reported the thefts last week, just three days apart. They were both told over the phone that they could pay off their taxes with iTunes gift cards.
Cpl. Stacy Wiens of the Flin Flon RCMP said the caller used the names and phone numbers of local RCMP detachments to add credibility to the pitch.
In both cases, the caller claimed to be with the Canada Revenue Agency. Each victim was told that an audit showed she owed the government a large sum of money and that if the debt wasn’t settled, she would be arrested, publicly humiliated and sent to jail.
The caller then asked each victim if she intended to defraud to Canadian government or if it was an honest mistake. A tax fraud file number was then provided.
Each woman was told the debt could be repaid using iTunes gift cards. iTunes is Apple’s software-based online digital media store.
“In one instance, the victim was coached on what to say if they were questioned why they had were purchasing so many iTunes cards,” said Wiens. “When the victim began to ask questions, they were put on hold by the caller.”
Wiens said investigators are now attempting to see whether the number on the back of the iTunes cards can be traced.
He said these types of investigations are handled at the detachment level in consultation with the RCMP’s commercial crime section in Winnipeg. Most go unsolved.
While in this case the two victims were approaching or at retirement age, Wiens said he has seen “a wide range of people from young [to] elderly” fall prey to scams of this nature.
He urged people to use caution.
“People work hard for their money,” Wiens said. “If you receive a phone call, email or receive a letter stating that you owe money, question why they are asking you for the money and, ‘Do I owe this money?’ and if you are unsure, ask for help from your family, a friend or give your local detachment a call. The [Canada] Revenue Agency does not accept payment in the form of iTunes cards, nor does any other government agency or service provider.”
The iTunes scam has duped a number of Canadians. In recent months, news websites have reported on a Calgary woman losing nearly $20,000, an Ontario woman more than $12,000 and a BC woman $8,000, among other victims.
