Updated Checked by the Tax-Services.ca editorial team How we check
If you answered a fake CRA call and paid or gave out information, stop all contact, then phone your bank or card company before anything else. After that, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 and to your local police. Scammers count on panic and embarrassment, and careful people get caught too, so don’t wait and don’t hide it.
How can you tell whether the call was really the CRA?
Look at what the caller asked for. The CRA never demands immediate payment by e-transfer, cryptocurrency, prepaid cards or gift cards, and it doesn’t threaten arrest. A real agent gives a name, an office and a callback number. Say you’ll verify, hang up, and check with the CRA’s verify tool or by calling 1-800-959-8281 (individuals) or 1-800-959-5525 (businesses). Caller ID proves nothing, since it can be faked. The steps are on Canada Revenue Agency: verify it’s the CRA contacting you.
What should you do in the first hour?
Hang up, don’t call the number back, and ignore any follow-up message. The CRA’s own advice for anyone who shared information or paid is to stop contact first. Then call the institution behind whatever you used: your bank for a transfer or debit, the card company for a credit card, or the gift card issuer if you read out card numbers. Tell them it was fraud and ask what they can freeze or reverse. Some payment methods can be stopped within hours, and others can’t be undone at all.
- End the call or stop replying.
- Phone your bank, card company or card issuer, using the number on the back of your card.
- Write down what happened: the number that called, the time, what they said, what you paid and how.
What belongs in the first day?
Report the fraud and protect your identity. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre takes reports online or at 1-888-495-8501, and the CRA has its own page for reporting scams and identity theft. Contact your local police too, since the bank often wants a report number. Then reach Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada through their official websites and ask about a fraud alert on your credit file, especially if you gave out your SIN, birth date or address. Ask each bureau for your report so you can look for accounts you don’t recognize.
If you gave out your CRA My Account sign-in details, change the password at once and look for changes you didn’t make, such as a new bank account for direct deposit or a new address. The CRA says to contact it as soon as possible if you find any. If you can’t sign in, phone the CRA at 1-800-959-8281 and explain.
What if you only answered and gave them nothing?
Picking up the phone doesn’t hurt you. What you said might. If you confirmed your name, birth date, address or SIN, treat it as shared information and follow the first-day steps for your credit file. If you only listened and hung up, block the number and move on, though you should expect more calls, because a live answer tells a scammer your number works. If a letter or notice arrives afterward, check it against our guide to CRA letters before you respond.
What should the first week look like?
Keep watching your accounts, and don’t pay anyone who offers to get your money back. The CRA warns that recovery offers are a second scam, so a stranger who asks for a fee or your information isn’t helping. Check bank and card statements every few days, and pull your credit reports again after a week or two. Change any other password that matched the one you gave, and turn on two-step verification where it’s offered. If you want to know whether a CRA balance exists, look in My Account instead of calling any number a caller gave you. The CRA scams page covers the wider picture.
Tell your family, especially older relatives. Scammers often call the same household again, sometimes posing as someone who can recover your loss.
What do real CRA calls, texts and letters look like?
The CRA publishes a list of what it will and won’t do, and it’s narrower than most people expect. The table sums up the channels, and the full list is on Canada Revenue Agency: recognize a scam.
| Channel | What the CRA may do | What it won’t do |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | Ask for personal details to confirm who you are, and talk about a debt you owe | Demand payment by gift card, cryptocurrency or prepaid card, threaten arrest, or leave a voicemail asking for personal or financial details |
| Text | Rarely contact you this way, apart from a sign-in security code if you asked for one | Send a link, a refund notice or a request for payment or personal information |
| Tell you a new message is waiting in My Account, if you signed up for email notices | Include a link that asks for personal details or a refund, or ask you to reply with them | |
| Send letters asking for documents, a return or a payment | Ask you to pay by gift card or cryptocurrency |
If you’re not sure which side of the table a message falls on, our CRA letters decoder can help with mail. Several beliefs that scammers lean on also come up in ten Canadian tax myths.
Where does this information come from?
The steps and the CRA’s list of what it will and won’t do come from Canada Revenue Agency scam and fraud pages as of October 2026; the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre number is as published there. Checked in October 2026. This is an independent information site: we provide no services, we do not represent the CRA or any organization, and we do not guarantee that anything here is accurate or current. We accept no liability for decisions based on it. Check the official source before you rely on it. See the full disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get my money back if I paid a scammer?
Sometimes, but it depends on how you paid and how fast you act. A bank can sometimes stop a recent transfer or card payment, while cryptocurrency and gift cards are harder. Call your financial institution within the hour, then report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Is the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre phone number really 1-888-495-8501?
Yes. The CRA's scam pages direct victims to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, which takes reports online or by phone at 1-888-495-8501. You can also report through the CRA's scam reporting page. Reporting helps investigators even when the money can't be recovered.
Will the CRA ever call me about my taxes?
Yes. It can call to ask for missing information, talk about a balance you owe, or tell you about a review. It will not threaten arrest, ask for payment by gift card or cryptocurrency, or ask for personal information in a voicemail.
What if I gave the scammer my SIN?
Start with fraud alerts at both credit bureaus, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and your local police, and keep checking your credit reports and CRA account. Service Canada handles questions about a misused SIN if you see signs it is being used.