Police agencies across the province are warning British Columbians about a new scam text message claiming to be from the Canadian Revenue Agency.

Burnaby RCMP and Abbotsford Police have issued warnings about the message, which appears to be an Interac e-Transfer from the CRA.

Victims are then asked to click on a link to deposit their income tax return and subsequently asked for personal information, like social insurance numbers, credit card and bank account information and passport numbers.

The CRA said it is aware of the scam, and reminds people that it will only send refund payments via direct deposit or by cheque, but never by online money transfer.

Individuals questioning the authenticity of a phone call or email claiming to be from the CRA can call the agency directly at 1-800-959-8281.

The agency has provided a list of questions to ask yourself if you suspect you’ve received a scam, or phishing email:

  • Am I expecting additional money from the CRA?
  • Does this sound too good to be true?
  • Is the requester asking for information I would not include with my tax return?
  • Is the requester asking for information I know the CRA already has on file for me?
  • How did the requester get my email address?
  • Am I confident I know who is asking for the information?

A separate scam reported by numerous people on Twitter involved a text message appearing to be from the TD Bank.

The message claims that an individual’s account has been suspended and requests that they click on a link to fix the issue. It then also asks for sensitive personal information.

td bank

TD Bank spokesman Jeff Meerman said the message is a scam, and anyone who receives it should delete it immediately.

TD customers with concerns can call 1-866-222-3456 or email phishing@td.com, he said.