CCI Manitoba Chapter News

Fraud awareness - hacking CRA accounts

Courtesy of CBC News and their TV program The Fifth Estate

Who’s hacking CRA accounts?
Victims of identity theft across Canada want
their names cleared after scammers got into
their accounts with the Canada Revenue Agency.

You read the full CBC news article — click here — or you can watch The Fifth Estate episode on YouTube — click here. Here are some highlighs to pique your interest ...

"Whistleblowers told The Fifth Estate Canadians have still not been given a full accounting of money stolen from the public treasury by scammers. One high-level confidential source told us the figure is closer to $500 million in recent years."

"In 2024, nearly 30 million people used tax firms or tax software to file their tax returns to the CRA. (The Canadian Press)"

"Federal legislation governing data security at the CRA does not apply to tax firms..."

"... while the CRA directs Canadians on its website to use third-party tax filers and says it has “certified” their software, it also tells taxpayers in the fine print that “it is your responsibility” to check into their “confidentiality policies.”

Note that while the fraudsters are stealing the money, the CRA are asking the victims for the money back, in mayn cases for tens of thousands of dollars.

March is fraud awareness month. Don't become a victim — be informed.