CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) is the Canadian federal government service which oversees the collection of tax and governs law and policy related to tax.
Every year a business or individual is required to file for an income tax return which has been made easy by using the online CRA service where you need to create a CRA account.
Unfortunately, it has become very common for scammers to call or text pretending to be CRA agents and extract all personal or account information.
To remain alert of such calls you need to know what number CRA call from and if they call you how can you verify.
This article will also discuss CRA calling for CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit) and if they use a private number.
What Number Does CRA Call From?
CRA rarely calls an individual and when they do, it is never an automated call. If you ever receive a call from CRA then it is for very specific reasons that you may have asked CRA.
If CRA calls you it is for the following instances:
- To ask you about your personal information such as name, date of birth, address or social insurance number for verifying your identity.
- To ask you about your account information.
- To start the audit process.
If you have doubts then you can verify the caller by asking the following steps before giving any information,
- Inform the caller that you will first verify his/her identity.
- Make a note of the information by requesting their name, phone number and office location.
- End the call and verify by contacting the CRA before providing any kind of information. For verification, you can call on 1-800-959-8281 (for individuals), 1-800-959-5525 (for businesses) and 1-866-864-5823 (for calls related to student loans and employment insurance).
After you verify the CRA agent call them back and then discuss the reason for their call.
To reduce the wait times, CRA also offers an automated callback service.
When you opt for an automated callback service, you will receive a four-digit code that will be repeated during the callback for authentication. This will help you to verify that the caller is a legitimate CRA employee.
Does CRA Call You About CERB?
No, CRA does not call about CERB.
CERB was introduced by CRA for any employed or self-employed Canadian individuals to provide financial support who were affected by Covid-19.
It needs to be applied online through CRA or Employment Insurance and you also should check for its eligibility.
CERB is now a closed service of CRA.
Does CRA Call You From A Private Number?
No CRA does not call from a private number.
CRA always call and identify themselves as CRA agent by telling you their name and phone number. You can further verify their identity before giving any personal or account information.
Stay Alert
CRA never call unless they mention it to you in written communication that you can check in your CRA MyAccount.
You can also identify a scammer by the following:
- The caller does not give you their information like their name, phone number and office location.
- The caller will not give you any time to think and will force you to act instantly. They may also use abusive language or threaten you in the name of the police or law.
- The caller will ask you to pay in the form of credit cards, gift cards or cryptocurrency.
- The caller asks you for your credit card information.
- The caller will tell you to apply for benefits or will ask for your information so that they can apply for benefits on your behalf.
What Can You Do If You Are A Victim Of Scam?
If you feel that you are scammed and tricked into sharing your personal or financial information then contact the local police service immediately.
Contact CRA if any of the following instances:
- Your CRA Account is compromised.
- You find changes in your personal or banking information when you did not ask for it.
- You see your benefits application made without your consent.
- You want your online access to information disabled from CRA Sign-in services.
- You want your online access to information enabled from CRA Sign-in services after disabling it.
In addition to reporting the fraud to CRA, you should also report it to Canadian Anti-Fraud Center Canadian Anti-Fraud Center.
You can also stay up to date with scam alerts that are regularly made aware by CRA and be cautious to avoid them.
You can reach out to the CRA Support team by calling on 1-855-330-3305 for individual-related issues.
