Apparently the CRA is going to sue me because I didn't respond to their last half-dozen scam calls.
I'm so terrified.
I'm so terrified.
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They tell you they're going to have the cops arrest you in an hour unless you buy $$$$ worth of iTunes gift cards and send them the codes (which will clear up whatever amount of money they claim you owe)?
It's insane, how many seniors and new immigrants/refugees get caught in this scam. They hear the words "RCMP" and "arrest" and panic.
Synobun
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I got my first CRA scam call a couple weeks ago. Thick Indian accent screaming into the phone: "I'M PETER FROM THE CANADIAN REVENUE AGENCY, I'M CALLING BECAUSE YOU OWE THE AGENCY-"
No idea what comes after that as I hung up. I do somewhat question how anyone can fall for this. Is garbled, accented screaming the norm overseas when it comes to phone calls from the government?
No idea what comes after that as I hung up. I do somewhat question how anyone can fall for this. Is garbled, accented screaming the norm overseas when it comes to phone calls from the government?
I've never actually had anyone call me in person. It's always been an automated call. I've also had scam emails. CRA has said that for the most part, they will never phone anyone. If you're really in trouble with them, they'll send a letter.
Thing is, this didn't start until I was stupid enough to include my email address with my tax return, a couple of years ago. I'd thought it would be handy to be able to dash off a quick email, rather than wait around on hold when using the phone.
Next thing I knew, I started getting the scam emails and phone calls. So I phoned CRA, told them what was going on, and demanded that they remove my email from their records and delete the account that had been created. I told them that I would not be filing online - I'd do it via snailmail - and that from now on, any communications would be either by snailmail or by phone if I initiated the call myself.
They agreed to that, and the emails stopped. My phone number, unfortunately, has been shared by any number of scam outfits originating in India, and I get calls about everything from CRA to heating ducts, home security, computer viruses, and the latest is "we're going to disconnect your internet within 24 hours because you have received suspicious emails and you have to call this number to talk to us so you won't be disconnected."
I reported the last one to my ISP, who confirmed that it's a scam and said I would not be disconnected.
And it's all by people with Indian accents who claim to be Peter, or Mike, or John (the first CRA scam call was from "John MacKenzie" - who speaks with a thick Indian accent, as do all the others in the background).
How stupid do these people think we are?
They send letters asking me to pay up money I owe for supposedly operating a cellphone that doesn't have an account attached to it since January. Since the letter they've sent says that if I don't owe them anything and they've sent the letter to me by mistake I shouldn't pay then I intend to take them at their word.
What they're asking for is practically pocket money but as a matter of principle I'm not paying them a single freaking peso cent.
Zkribbler
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Tell them that you have over $2,000,000 tied up in a bank account in Nigeria, but you can't get to it directly. However, if they'll send you their bank account number and PIN, you'll be happy to wire the money there. 
Heh, I actually got one of those Nigerian scam emails this morning. It was for a lot more than $2 million, though.
Timsup2nothin
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Tell them that you have over $2,000,000 tied up in a bank account in Nigeria, but you can't get to it directly. However, if they'll send you their bank account number and PIN, you'll be happy to wire the money there.
This is in line with my approach to these things. I once kept someone who had "been monitoring my credit and was prepared to lower my interest rates because of my good payment history" on the line for over thirty minutes. I told them how eager I was, and then was terribly disappointed that they had to ask for my credit card number since it seemed like with all their monitoring they should already have it. But being a naive little naif I agreed that I could get it for them...as soon as I got home as I was on my cell phone. Eventually my "just a few more blocks now" excuses wore too thin I guess, but only after they had called for a supervisor's approval to stay on the line in response to my pleas that they just give me a few more minutes.
Of course since I was "driving" there wasn't much chance to converse. I played several turns in my Civ4 game, and considered telling them I was at war with Asoka at the time but figured that might be too hard to explain.
You know it's a mistake. But do they know it's a mistake? You can't always trust companies like that to catch their own mistakes.
There's a recent article on CBC about a man who filed the final tax papers for his recently-deceased wife, only to get a letter back addressed to "The Estate of ____" and the name was his own. So not only was his wife dead, he had been declared dead as well.
That's how it was with my electricity bill snafu. It was addressed to my estate, not to me.
There's a recent article on CBC about a man who filed the final tax papers for his recently-deceased wife, only to get a letter back addressed to "The Estate of ____" and the name was his own. So not only was his wife dead, he had been declared dead as well.
That's how it was with my electricity bill snafu. It was addressed to my estate, not to me.
Consumer laws act in my favour. If they want to feck about they'll just bring themselves a lot of trouble gratis. It was bad enough that they wouldn't take the **@#@ cellphone back (I can sell it online or to a friend anyway).
Haven't you seen the post about the Romanian man who was told by his country's court system that he was legally dead? It's on the weird news thread.
I hadn't seen that. I don't always read that thread, so there's a lot there that I've missed.
I never log out. But I get occasional email notices of new replies in that thread.
shadowplay
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We'll get 'em next two games back in Toronto, buddy, guy.
shadowplay
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Looks like the kind of train you could have a beer with. 
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