What to expect when the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) contacts you
CRA does sometimes contact taxpayers by phone, email and mail for legitimate reasons. The following tips will help Canadians identify legitimate communications from the CRA.
By phone
The CRA may
- verify your identity by asking for personal information such as your full name, date of birth, address and account, or social insurance number
- ask for details about your account, in the case of a business enquiry
- call you to begin an audit process
The CRA will never
- ask for information about your passport, health card, or driver’s license
- demand immediate payment by Interac e-transfer, bitcoin, prepaid credit cards or gift cards from retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, or others
- use aggressive language or threaten you with arrest or sending the police
- leave voicemails that are threatening or give personal or financial information
By email
The CRA may
- notify you by email when a new message or a document, such as a notice of assessment or reassessment, is available for you to view in secure CRA portals such as My Account, My Business Account, or Represent a Client
- email you a link to a CRA webpage, form, or publication that you ask for during a telephone call or a meeting with an agent (this is the only case where the CRA will send an email containing links)
The CRA will never
- give or ask for personal or financial information by email and ask you to click on a link
- email you a link asking you to fill in an online form with personal or financial details
- send you an email with a link to your refund
- demand immediate payment by Interac e-transfer, bitcoin, prepaid credit cards or gift cards from retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, or others
- threaten you with arrest or a prison sentence
By mail
The CRA may
- ask for financial information such as the name of your bank and its location
- send you a notice of assessment or reassessment
- ask you to pay an amount you owe through any of the CRA’s payment options
- take legal action to recover the money you owe, if you refuse to pay your debt
- write to you to begin an audit process
The CRA will never
- set up a meeting with you in a public place to take a payment
- demand immediate payment by Interac e-transfer, bitcoin, prepaid credit cards or gift cards from retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, or others
- threaten you with arrest or a prison sentence
By text messages/instant messaging
The CRA never uses text messages or instant messaging such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp to communicate with taxpayers under any circumstance. If a taxpayer receives text or instant messages claiming to be from the CRA, they are scams!