Recent reports including one from 680 News indicate that the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) received more than 10,000 complaints regarding fraud, and 688 people reported being defrauded $2.7 million from malicious people impersonating the CRA.
The attacks are very effective because they elicit panic and fear, give the victim very little time to perform tasks, and threaten penalization if the victims don’t comply. These attacks often occur through email; however, phone calls and text messages also used to target potential victims. If you want to learn more about spotting phishing emails, and how to protect yourself, you can view similar attacks that target our University on our security matters website.
The CRA will never threaten legal action, ask for gift cards, or use an aggressive tone with harsh disciplinary language. The CRA would also never request payment through money service businesses, iTunes gift cards, or bitcoin. If you think you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, contact the Canadian Anti‐Fraud Centre at 1‐888‐495‐8501 or report it online at antifraudcentre.ca.
If you would like to learn more, visit the CRA fraud prevention website.
If your U of T email has received a phish, please report the email to report.phishing@utoronto.ca.