The RCMP is warning the public to not pay any taxes with Bitcoin after another North Vancouver resident lost $6000 to a Bitcoin tax scam last month.
In Richmond, there have been very few cases involving Bitcoin so far. A Bitcoin scam is new, but a common denominator of scams is payment. “If some type of punitive action is threatened before payment is demanded, it is likely a scam,” Dennis Hwang, spokesman for Richmond RCMP told the News in an email.
The North Vancouver incident happened on March 19 when the victim received a phone call from an alleged CRA employee, telling the victim she needs to pay $6000 in taxes immediately. The victim then transferred $6000 to a Bitcoin reference code number supplied by the fraudster.
“The CRA does NOT accept Bitcoin as a method of payment, nor will they contact you by phone and threaten or coerce you into paying a tax bill,” North Vancouver RCMP said in a written warning.
Common types of payment that may be demanded include iTunes cards, Steam cards and now Bitcoin. “We recommend hanging up the phone immediately if a potential scam artist contacts you,” Hwang said.
