The Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) says grocery rebate scams are circulating by text and email, urging recipients to claim payments or fill out forms.
An example of the phrasing used by scammers and shared by the agency is, "to receive your payment, click here and complete the form."
These messages are fake and should not be clicked, the CRA said.
The CRA urges recipients to be wary of notifications asking for personal or financial information. In a tweet it said, “The Grocery Rebate will be delivered after enactment of legislation.”
The one-time grocery rebate, proposed in this year’s federal budget, aims to provide relief for Canadians amid inflation on goods and essentials.
The benefit will be sent out through the GST rebate system if the bill implementing it passes in the House of Commons.
The proposal includes a one-time grocery rebate that will provide $2.5 billion for 11 million low- and modest-income Canadians and families.
Eligible couples with two children would receive up to $467, single Canadians without children would get up to $234, and seniors up to $225.
According to Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, there were 6,610 reports of fraud and 3,923 victims of fraud in January.
If you are the victim of a scam, you can Contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre toll free at 1-888-495-8501 or through the fraud reporting system.
Correction:
A previous version of this article stated that the grocery rebate would provide $2.5 billion for 1 million low- and modest-income Canadians and families. This was incorrect. The grocery rebate would target 11 million Canadians and families.
