A 75-year-old West Vancouver woman and a 90-year-old Langley woman have narrowly escaped what police are calling a new version of the Canada Revenue Agency tax scam.
West Van police say the 75-year-old woman was contacted by someone claiming to represent the CRA who demanded $5,000 from her for “unpaid taxes.”
The woman forwarded a cash payment to an individual with an address in Langley and the scammer asked her to put a false return name on the envelope. Her son discovered the payment, realized it was a scam and contacted police, who worked with Canada Post to intercept the letter containing the cash before it was delivered.
Police briefly detained a 90-year-old woman from Langley when she tried to pick up the letter but investigators now believe she was an unwitting participant in the scam attempt.
The Langley woman told police she was notified that she had won a cash prize and could claim it at the post office. Investigators believe she was set up to receive the cash payment and would later be targeted by the scam artist if she had collected the money.
Investigators believe the West Vancouver and Langley residents were contacted by the same suspect or suspects, who have not been identified.
If residents receive a call saying they owe money to the CRA police say they should contact the CRA directly. The CRA will not send emails with a link asking people to divulge their personal or financial information.
