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Scams and fraud – CRA - Recognize a scam

You may be looking for:

Report a scam or identity theft
Beware of tax schemes that promise to reduce your taxes

Know how to recognize a scam and the reasons why the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) may need to contact you.

On this page

Warning signs of a scam

Scammers often contact you pretending to be from the CRA. Know when to be suspicious.

The CRA will not:

  • Send refunds or payments by e-transfer or text message
  • Provide or accept payments by cryptocurrencies
  • Demand or pressure immediate payment by:
    • Interac® e-transfer
    • Cryptocurrencies
    • Prepaid credit cards
    • Gift cards from any type of retailer
  • Threaten to deport or arrest you, or put you in prison
  • Use aggressive or threatening language
  • Set up an in-person meeting in a public location to collect a payment
  • Charge a fee to speak with a call centre agent
  • Ask for personal or financial information in a voicemail or email

Why the CRA may contact you

The CRA may contact you by phone, automated message, letter, or email.

If you receive a phone call or an automated message

The CRA may ask you for:

  • Personal information to verify your identity, including your name, date of birth, or Social Insurance Number (SIN)
  • Details or additional information needed for your tax account, such as, receipts or supporting documents
  • Tax returns you have not filed
  • Financial information, such as, your bank's name and location

If you have a debt with the CRA, we may:

  • Ask you to pay any amount owing, using the CRA's payment options
  • Notify you about possible legal actions to recover unpaid debts

The CRA notifies you when your:

  • Tax return is being reviewed
  • Recent GST/HST registration is being reviewed
  • GST/HST registration requirement is being reviewed
  • CRA user ID and password have been revoked
  • Notice of assessment or reassessment is sent
  • Audit process is being initiated

The CRA may contact you to offer a service:

  • Free tax help for your small business through the Liaison Officer service
  • Support to help people access benefits and credits

If you receive an automated telephone message

The CRA may call using an automated telephone message system as a courtesy reminder for:

  • Income tax and benefit return filing
  • Paying taxes by required quarterly instalments
  • Filing and payment deadlines if you are a business with a new GST/HST account

The automated system only gives a message and does not include or ask for personal taxpayer information.

If you receive a letter

The CRA may ask you for:

  • Personal information to verify your identity, including your name, date of birth, or Social Insurance Number (SIN)
  • Details or additional information needed for your tax account, such as, receipts or supporting documents
  • Tax returns you have not filed
  • Financial information, such as, your bank's name and location

If you have a debt with the CRA, we may:

  • Ask you to pay any amount owing, using the CRA's payment options
  • Notify you about possible legal actions to recover unpaid debts

The CRA notifies you when your:

  • Tax return is being reviewed
  • Recent GST/HST registration is being reviewed
  • GST/HST registration requirement is being reviewed
  • CRA user ID and password have been revoked
  • Notice of assessment or reassessment is sent
  • Audit process is being initiated

The CRA may contact you to offer a service:

  • Free tax help for your small business through the Liaison Officer service
  • Support to help people access benefits and credits
If you receive an email

The CRA will only send you emails in 2 situations:

  • You've registered for email notifications and have a new message to view in your CRA online accounts
  • You've asked that a CRA link, form, or publication be sent during a meeting or call with an agent

Emails you receive from the CRA will not:

  • Be from a specific user
  • Ask you to reply to the email
  • Include a link asking you to enter personal or financial information
If you receive a text or instant message

The CRA only sends text messages for multi-factor authentication for all of its sign-in services and if you enrolled with the telephone option.

The CRA will not use text messages or instant messaging such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp.

Fake websites that seem real

Fake websites can be very convincing, but checking the web address will help you spot them.

Signs of a fake website

Fake websites often use look-alike web addresses that have:

Sometimes, scammers set up a fake website or web page with the characters in the web address slightly rearranged, hoping that you might not notice.

Official government websites

The official website for the CRA uses web addresses that either:

or

If it doesn’t, it could be a fake website pretending to be a CRA website.

Official Government of Canada websites usually begin with canada.ca as the web address or end with .gc.ca, such as:

The “dot” before .ca or .gc.ca is important. Scammers have tried setting up fake websites using hyphens instead, such as “-gc-ca”.

Many official Government of Canada websites have shortened web addresses that are easy to remember and direct you to specific web pages, such as:

All of these short website addresses begin with canada.ca.

Some notable exceptions are Canada’s national police service websites, crime reporting websites, and cyber security resource websites which have their own web addresses:

How to avoid fake websites

When in doubt, don’t click!

Since scammers want you to click on links, forms, or attachments, they usually send a message to try and trick you into clicking on a link. If you are ever unsure about a message you received, contact the department, organization, or business directly.

Avoid clicking links in texts or emails, even if they look legitimate. Links can easily lead you to a fake website, and some of them are very convincing.

You can avoid links leading to fake websites by typing an official website address directly into your website browser. When you enter a web address into your web browser, it’s a direct route to official web pages. From there, it’s safer to navigate the contents and links that belong to those pages. Entering a web address yourself is a more secure way to make sure you get real information, sign-in portals, or applications.

The most accurate and current online information about federal government programs, benefits, and advisories come from official Government of Canada web pages. Bookmark or favourite official websites or web pages for an easier way to revisit them securely.

Carefully check web address spellings before going to a website. Phone number and website spoofing are common ways scammers try to mislead people. The best ways to avoid spoofing are to:

Beware of website advertisements and pop-ups that could lead you to a different website. Government websites do not contain non-government advertisements.

Latest scam trend: generative artificial intelligence

What is generative artificial intelligence (GenAI)?

For several years, artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly relevant to the lives of everyday Canadians. AI is a broad term, including different computation fields like pattern recognition, data classification and analysis, and machine learning. The most prevalent type of AI in relation to tax scams and fraud is Generative AI (GenAI) because it creates human-like content in several forms including text, image, audio, video, software code, simulations, and synthetic data.

Scammers’ increased access to GenAI:

GenAI technologies are becoming increasingly accessible to the public, including scammers. Using GenAI makes it easier for unskilled, inexperienced scammers to create more sophisticated malicious content that would have previously required significant knowledge, time, and resources to design. Access to GenAI provides scammers with new ways to facilitate their criminal activities, increasing the risk of fraud.

How do I recognize a GenAI tax scam?

Scams may contain errors like typos, fuzzy logos, poor translation, and formatting differences. However, GenAI enables scammers to produce more realistic and convincing deceptions of official CRA forms and communications.

The same warning signs for any tax scam can also apply to GenAI scams. Learning the warning signs will help you spot any scams, whether they are generated by AI or not.

When in doubt, verify what you read

Always verify information you read online about government benefits with official websites of the Government of Canada (Canada.ca) or your province or territory.

You can verify what you hear with the CRA by registering for a CRA account, getting information through our secure channels, or contacting us directly.

Latest scams alerts

Find details and examples of some of the latest benefit and tax-related scams. You can view all scams or use the filter to find a specific scam type.

Benefit and tax-related scams

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Scam types

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  • Benefit and tax credit scams

    Scam type: Email | Text message | Instant message

    Description

    Scammers are sending messages about benefits and tax credits, such as the:

    • Home accessibility tax credit (HATC)
    • Disability tax credit (DTC)
    • Multigenerational home renovation tax credit (MHRTC)
    • Old age security pension (OAS)

    The messages may contain a link and a code. The CRA does not send text messages or emails about benefits or tax credits with links asking you to click them.

    What to do

    • Do not click on any links
    • Do not reply to the message

    Only refer to official Government of Canada web pages and your provincial or territorial government’s official web pages for information about government benefits.

    Refer to the Government of Canada information: Benefits

  • Fake government benefit payments

    Scam type: Website

    Description

    There is disinformation on websites claiming the Government of Canada has introduced several new benefits or payments.

    • There is no new financial relief payment of $2,000 by direct deposit
    • There is no new $680 one-time payment for rent support
    • There is no payment of $533 for inflation relief
    • There is no $3900 one-time payment to help with the rising costs of essentials

    What to do

    • Avoid disinformation about government benefits by referring to official Government of Canada web pages and your provincial or territorial government’s official web pages
    • Learn more about online disinformation

    Refer to the Government of Canada information: Benefits or the Benefits Finder

  • Grocery Rebate scam

    Scam type: Email | Text message | Instant message

    Description

    There is disinformation online and messages circulating that claim individuals can apply for a new Grocery Rebate.

    • There is no new Grocery Rebate.
    • It was a one-time payment issued in July 2023, calculated based on a family’s situation in January 2023 and their 2021 adjusted family net income.

    What to do

    • Do not click on any links or provide information to apply for any new Grocery Rebate.

  • Canada Carbon Rebate scam

    Scam type: Email | Text message

    Description

    A text message or email claiming to be the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has a link to the Canada Carbon Rebate. It may include images copied from Government of Canada social media accounts.

    What to do

    • Do not click on the link or reply to the message

    Refer to the CRA's information: Canada Carbon Rebate

  • Fraudulent CRA payment scam by text message

    Scam type: Text message

    Description

    A text message of an image with the Government of Canada logo claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) offering a fraudulent Interac® e-transfer deposit. Following the image, a separate text message containing a link to a realistic impersonation of a sign-in portal for financial institutions is sent.

    What to do

    • Do not reply to the text message, or click on any link provided
    • Do not provide any personal or account information

  • Recovery room scams

    Scam type: Email | Text message | Instant message | Letter

    Description

    Messages target individuals who have already lost funds to a scam, promising to help them recover it. However, these messages are actually attempting to steal more money or your personal information.

    They often request that you first make a deposit or provide information before you can receive recovered funds. Scammers may include documents impersonating law enforcement, government agencies or regulators to build trust.

    What to do

    Refer to the Canadian Securities Administrators’ information: Avoiding Fraud

  • EFILE accounts scam

    Scam type: Email | Text message | Instant message

    Description

    Messages targeting tax preparation service providers and discounters are asking recipients to sign conditions for maintaining their EFILE accounts. There is a button or link that leads to a fake EFILE Sign in page, which looks very similar to the actual EFILE Sign in page.

    What to do

    • Do not click any buttons, links, or reply to the message
    • Only access the EFILE Sign in page from official Canada.ca pages

    Refer to the CRA's information: EFILE for electronic filers

  • Phone call from an official-looking number demanding payment

    Scam type: Phone call

    Description

    Scammers claiming to be the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will call to demand payment or request information. They may spoof a local number, or an official number for law enforcement or even the CRA, to make it appear legitimate as though the call is coming from that number.

    What to do

    • Do not provide any personal or financial information
    • Hang up and contact the CRA directly for any tax-related matters

  • Identity theft and fraudulent tax returns

    Scam type: Identity theft

    Description

    Scammers acquire personal information (such as user ID and passwords), and file fake tax returns in your name. This is referred to as identity theft and targets all Canadians.

    You may notice:

    • A change on your account
    • An email notification saying your account has been modified
    • A delay in receiving credits or refunds
    • Difficulty filing your tax return online

    What to do

    • Check your account for any unauthorized changes
    • If any are found, contact the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as soon as possible

    Refer to the CRA's information: Report a scam or identity theft

  • Document review scam

    Scam type: Email

    Description

    An email stating you have received a tax return document to review that has a button or link to review the document. These are phishing scams attempting to collect your personal, financial, or login information after you click the link. Remember:

    • The CRA will notify you by email when something is available to view in your CRA My Account.
    • Those notification emails will not contain a button or link asking you to fill in an online form with personal or financial details.

    What to do

    • Do not click any buttons, links, or reply to the message.
    • Do not share any personal or financial information.

    Refer to the CRA's information: Email notifications from the CRA

  • Low income seniors scam

    Scam types: Instant message | Website

    Description

    A scam aimed at seniors is claiming the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is sending extra payments to low income seniors. Websites with false information describe benefits and some contain links to join Telegram or WhatsApp instant messaging groups.

    What to do

    • Do not click on any links
    • Do not join any instant messaging group

    Only refer to official Government of Canada web pages and your provincial or territorial government’s official web pages for information about government benefits.

    Refer to the Government of Canada's information: Benefits or the Benefits Finder

  • Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security scam

    Scam type: Text message

    Description

    Fraudulent text messages claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regarding a line from the taxpayer’s most recent tax assessment, asking the taxpayer to respond “Y” for yes to resolve the issue. The text message scam then sends the recipient a fake CPP-related hyperlink, which takes them to a realistic impersonation of the CRA and banking websites, asking for personal information to sign in to the fraudulent website.

    What to do

    • Do not provide any personal or financial information
    • Do not click the link or reply to the message

  • Messages containing personal information

    Scam type: Text message

    Description

    Message claiming to be the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), requests a payment or contains a link. It contains personal information such as, your name, date of birth, or Social Insurance Number.

    What to do

    • Do not provide any personal or financial information
    • Do not click the link or reply to the message

  • Emergency or disaster benefit scam

    Scam types: Text message | Email | Instant message

    Description

    Message claiming to be the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) with a link to emergency benefits. Targeting people who are impacted by emergencies or disasters.

    What to do

    • Do not click on the link or reply to the message

    Refer to Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC's) information: Help for individuals affected by hazardous weather and natural disasters

  • Cryptocurrency scam

    Scam type: Phone call

    Description

    Claiming to work for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the scammer calls requesting money be transferred by cryptocurrency to cancel a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) warrant for your arrest. Pretending to be the RCMP, the scammer calls back to instruct you to transfer money from your bank account to cancel the arrest warrant. They promise to return your money once your name is cleared. The scammer provides phone numbers and passwords to deposit money into a local coin machine or cryptocurrency terminal.

    What to do

    • Do not provide any personal or financial information
    • Hang up if the caller requests money
    • Verify the caller is from the CRA

    Refer to the CRA's information: Verify it's the CRA calling

  • GST/HST tax refund / credit scam

    Scam types: Text message | Email

    Description

    Claiming to be the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the scammer sends you a text message or an email about giving you a GST/HST tax refund or credit. You are asked to provide personal information to proceed. Scammer asks you to reply or click on a link to complete an application form with an urgent deadline to receive your refund or credit.

    What to do

    • Do not click on the link or reply to the message
    • Do not send any personal or financial information

    Refer to the CRA's information: GST/HST credit

  • Scam to access your CRA accounts

    Scam type: Text message

    Description

    Scammer sends a text message claiming to be the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to gain access to your CRA accounts. Message will say there is an error with your account which will need to be updated. You are asked to text back "HELP" and then may be asked to provide personal information.

    What to do

    • Do not click on the link or reply to the message
    • Do not send any personal or financial information

  • Phishing scam to offer a refund

    Scam types: Text message | Email

    Description

    Phishing scam impersonating the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to offer fake refunds to Canadians. Scammers will use a fake CRA email address or phone number to offer a refund. The message says the CRA owes you a refund and will ask you to click on a link to provide:

    • Personal information such as your social insurance number, date of birth or your name
    • Online banking information to accept the refund by e-transfer

    What to do

    • Do not click any links or reply to the message
    • Do not send any personal or financial information

Charity-related and donation scams

Find details and examples of some of the latest charity-related fraud and donation scams. You can view all scams or use the filter to find a specific scam type.

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Scam types

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2025-12-16