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Tax season tends to bring out the financial fraud scammers (CR A ). A ccord in g to Det. M ark U nd erw ood of the H alton Regional P olice F rau d U nit, this type of fraud is on the increase. S om eone claim ing to w o rk for the CRA calls and dem ands m o n ey b ecau se, as the story goes, you are behind in yo u r federal in co m e tax. T h e fraudsters cou nt on fear tac tics, often threatening arrest or asset seizure. Researchers from the Stanford C en ter on L on gevity report older adults m ay be m ore susceptible to scam s evoking stron g em o tions. F rau d sters m ay intend to target se n iors, b u t Canadians of all ages fall victim . T h ere are m an y different types of request for money. Requests can be varied, including requests that you w ire m o n ey abroad or som etim es it' s as sim ple as asking y o u to pay you r b ack taxes by using iTunes gift cards or a prepaid credit card. This type of fraud has been around for years. In the fall of 2 0 1 6 , the RCM P rep ort ed police in A sia arrested 7 0 people at call centres em ploying 7 0 0 people. After the ar rests, the volum e of fraudulent CRA scam s decreased. U ntil now. U nd erw ood said the CRA scam s are b ack and there have been four or five reported in ciden ces in the last couple of w eeks, where 23 | Thursday, April 13, 2 0 1 7 | U nsuspecting Oakville residents are be ing targeted by fraudsters claim ing to w ork for the Canada Revenue A gency Dollais & Sense Peter Watson Guest Contributor I also suggest you be equally discerning to em ails received that ask for m o n ey or personal sensitive inform ation su ch as your date of birth, m o th er' s m aiden n am e, SIN num ber, or any answ ers to questions that you m ight have used to identify yourself w ith a legitim ate business. CRA scam s and other types of fraud pose a real threat to Oakville residences. All of us should con stan tly be aware of the threat, and to guard ourselves against finan cial losses. -- submitted by Peter Watson of Peter Watson Investments and Aligned Capital Partners Inc., MBA, CFP, R.FP, CIM, FCSI., Certified Financial Planner OAKVILLE BEAVER Oakville residents have been targeted. U nd erw ood advises you h ang up if anyone calls you claim ing to be from the CRA. The CRA does not m ake those types of calls. If it w ants to co m m u n icate, it does so via mail. D espite the good in tention s of our police there is n o rem edy on ce a victim ' s funds have been sent overseas. O ur police are proactive and con du ct sem inars in the com m u n ity and at police fa cilities. The focus is on prevention through public awareness. A rrests, su ch as those the RCM P reported, w o n 't stop fraud. E d u catio n is key. U nfortunately, the CRA fraud scam is a profitable business and therefore w e can an ticipate it will continue. Statistics from the C anadian A nti-Frau d Centre say 1 ,9 0 0 C anadians have been v ic tim ized to the exten t of $ 5 .7 million. A ccord in g to the RCMP, analysis of those figures suggest they represent ju st 5 per cent of actual losses. | www.insideHALTON.com M a xim e Kitchens & Baths Inc. QM fi home, 2376 Parkhaven Blvd, Oakville 905-257-5880 maximekitchens.ca S E R V IC E " D e liv e r in g h o m e c o m fo rt f r o m o u r fa m ily to y o u r s a u ALL YOU C A N EAT gu s t m E IN FOR ALL YOU CAN EA1 sh su J s in c e 1 9 6 7 " \PPLEBY SYSTEMS FIR E P L A C E , H EA TIN G & A IR C O N D IT IO N IN G C O N T R A C T O R S OAKVILLE 905.825.1893 BURLINGTON 905.335.3203 2086 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE Come See Our SHOWROOM Mon - Fri. 8am - 5pm; Saturday 11am - 4pm 2 8 0 N o rth S e rv ic e R o a d W. @ D o rv al 9 0 5 -3 3 8 -6 2 2 8 10% OFF Dinner only. Cash only & with this ad. www.applebysystems.ca w w w .a u g u s t8 .c a