3 | Friday August 18, 2017 | OAKVILLE BEAVER |www.insidehalton.com A ccusations have been ju s t aw fu l': senior continued from p.1 there that' s when they get nailed." The senior said some calls have been from people in Oakville, but others been from as far away as Vancouver. Some of these calls are re ceived in the dead of night and with the senior's number ap pearing with that initial phony CRA text some of the callers think she is behind the scam and have been hostile . "I've had some pretty nasty messages from people," she said. "I'm a widowed senior... It can be scary." The nerve-wracked citizen has contacted Halton police and the RCMP about the calls. Det. Mark Underwood of the Halton police fraud unit said police have seen before sce narios like the one described by this senior. "There's a phenomenon called `spoofing.' Basically there is software and websites out there that allow these people to spoof the phone number they are calling from with any number they want," said Un derwood. "We've had instances where they use the Halton police number to make people think Halton police are calling. More typically, because this is the CRA scam, they would use one of the CRAs phone numbers." Underwood said in this case it would appear scammers chose this Oakville woman's number at random. "What these people are get ting on their call displays is her phone number so they are call ing trying to find out because they think that is who called them," said Underwood. "In re a lity . that text or phone call could be coming from anywhere." The victims seem to be di rected to a phony CRA web site where the suspects use the promise of a tax refund to get sensitive material such as bank ing information. Underwood is reminding residents that the CRA will nev er attempt to contact them via text message, email or phone. Their primary point of first contact, he said, remains letter mail. The CRA will also never ask residents to make their pay ments using strange online cur rencies such as Bitcoin. Underwood said the Bitcoin incarnation of the CRA scam has recently been making the rounds in Halton, ensnaring three new victims within the last two weeks. He also advised residents not to trust their caller ID displays since the person who is calling is not necessarily connected to the number that appears on the display. "If there is any confusion, just hang up the phone and source independently the cor rect phone number for the CRA," said Underwood. "Don't call any number those on the phone or in the text gave you. Make a phone call to the CRA yourself and make enqui ries about your account." The Oakville senior said the calls are starting to diminish and hopes they will soon stop altogether. "It' s been very, very stress ful," she said. "I'm a senior on my own and I have a lot of stress in my life and this has just made it worse. The accusa tions have just been awful." While some of the callers have been frightening, the resident said she really feels for the elderly and recent arrivals to Canada she has heard from who are confused and are just trying to under stand what is happening. She has left a message for those who call her number informing them that she is not with the CRA and to con tact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501. Downsizing or Settling an Estate in Oakville? S E L L E V E R Y T H IN G in j u s t 2 W e e k s ^ 6 4 7 - 6 9 9 -3 4 3 1 M axSold.com /Oakville L o c a le x p e rt h e lp in O a k v ille to s e ll e v e ry th in g ! Fa rew ell fo o t p a in Our foot care starts with education. We treat all foot issu es so you can live w ithout pain & improve mobility. Best Chiropodist / C lin ic / Orthotics provider since 2004 ^ 9 0 5 632 1414 We put care & service first! 9 728 B u r lo a k ( S o u th o f th e Q E W ) F o o t&H ealthC lin ic. Let Your Natural Beauty Shine Through A t Any Age , BE R TOMS NON-SURGIGALOFFERS Laser Skin Rejuvenation Acne Treatment Laser Hair Removal Photofacial Skin Resurfacing Botox Fillers/Juvederm Skin Health Management: Injectables: Facial Peels Latisse Comprehensive Skin Care Analysis Sclerotheropy ZO Skin Health Medical Grade Facials Vanquish Exilis Non-Surgical Body Contouring __________ 'U _ , h e_ IN G E B O R G 'S W A R E H O U S E Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9 to 5 - Sat. 10-5 - Sun. 11 to 4 1681 f in f a r c o u r t , M is s is s a u g a · w w w .in g e b o r g s .c a G RACE C L IN IC P L A S T I CR E C O N S T R U C T I V E&L A S E R S U R G E R Y LOOK FOR u s ON Dr Douglas Grace B.SC. M.D. F.R.C.S.C Plastic, Reconstructive, & Laser Surgeon 9 0 5 .8 2 3 .7 4 1 5 289 768-2683 | 200-481 JOHN ST., BURLINGTON jWWW.GRACECLINIC.CA V oted #1 Facial a n d C osmetic Plastic S urgeon in offer ends Sept. 2, 2017 O akville, Burlington a n d H amilton