It’s simple enough to hang up on a suspicious call, or ignore a suspect email. But it’s an entirely different story when a scammer shows up on your doorstep.
Victoria Police are warning the public after an incident where a suspect posing as an investigator for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) showed up at a local woman’s home, threatening to take her into custody unless she paid him.
It’s a new twist on the common scam where a fraudster pretends to be a representative of the CRA, claims that the potential victim owes money, and demands payment with the threat of imprisonment.
Police said the attempted scam started like many others, with the woman reporting that she had been receiving CRA-scam telephone calls for several days.
But just after 11 a.m. on Friday morning, the woman said a man showed up at her home claiming to be a CRA investigator. Carrying handcuffs, he threatened to arrest her unless she handed over money in cash.
The woman slammed the door on the man and called 911. According to the police, she was not physically injured in the incident.
“She did the right thing," Victoria Police Insp. Jason Laidman told CTV Vancouver Island. “The CRA, I can tell you, does not attend in person, door-to-door, demanding cash, holding handcuffs and threatening to arrest people.”
Police describe the man as tall, slim, white and in his 30s, with short dark hair. He was wearing a blue suit.
The incident is similar to another that occurred in Windsor, Ont. last month, where two scammers came to a woman’s door and demanded money after presenting fake identification badges.
Victoria Police are reminding the public that the CRA will not show up in person, threatening to arrest someone unless they pay on the spot.
"If this man, or someone else making similar demands, attends your residence, please close the door and call 911 immediately," the department said in a statement.
The investigation is ongoing. No arrests have been made in the case.
With a report from CTV Vancouver Island’s Jordan Cunningham
