CRA and Service Canada scam calls: how to tell the real agency from a fake

What the CRA, Service Canada and Revenu Québec say they will and will not do on a call, how to check a caller without trusting the display, and what to do if you have already paid or given details.

Editor: Andrew Pickett · Last reviewed 2026-10-24 · Editorial guidelines. Written for readers in Canada.

The caller says the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has an arrest warrant for you, or that your Social Insurance Number (SIN) has been compromised, and that the only way out is to pay today. The number on your display may even look official. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) describes this script on its extortion page: the fraudster “claims to be an employee of either the Canada Revenue Agency or Service Canada,” says you have a compromised SIN or owe back taxes, and threatens that you will be arrested, fined or deported if you do not speak to them immediately. Payment is demanded through money service businesses, prepaid or gift cards, or Bitcoin.

The CAFC files this under extortion, a category that drew 2,767 reports and about $23 million in reported losses in 2025 according to its top-frauds list. The category also covers other threats, so that is not a count of tax-agency calls. What matters here is that the agencies being imitated have published clear rules about how they contact you, and those rules are enough to settle almost every call.

What the CRA says it does, and what it says it never does

The CRA’s own “Recognize a scam” page says it may contact you by phone, automated message, letter or email. On a live call it may ask for personal information to verify your identity, including your name, date of birth or SIN, and it may ask you to pay an amount owing using its payment options. Automated phone messages are courtesy reminders only, and the CRA says they do not ask for personal taxpayer information.

The same page lists what the CRA will not do:

• demand or pressure you into immediate payment by Interac e-Transfer, cryptocurrency, prepaid credit cards or gift cards;
• threaten to deport or arrest you, or put you in prison, or use aggressive or threatening language;
• send refunds or payments by e-transfer or text message, or provide or accept payments in cryptocurrency;
• set up an in-person meeting in a public place to collect a payment;
• charge a fee to speak with a call centre agent;
• ask for personal or financial information in a voicemail or an email.

One consequence is easy to miss. Because the real CRA can ask for your SIN to verify who you are, “they asked for my SIN” does not by itself prove a call is fake. The tell is the pressure, the threat and the payment method. A caller who wants gift cards, Bitcoin or an e-transfer today has already told you what they are.

The CRA also describes a crypto variant in which a first caller claiming to be the CRA says an RCMP arrest warrant must be cancelled, and a second caller posing as the RCMP tells you to move money from your bank account to a local coin machine or cryptocurrency terminal. Its advice for any caller who asks for money is to hang up.

The display number proves nothing

The CRA warns that scammers “may spoof a local number, or an official number for law enforcement or even the CRA.” The CAFC makes the same point in its prevention advice: fraudsters can display legitimate numbers for law enforcement, financial institutions and government agencies, by call or by text. So a real-looking number, or one that matches the agency’s listing, is not evidence. See caller ID spoofing and why blocking one number rarely helps.

How to check a call without trusting the caller

1. Share nothing.Ask for the caller’s name, office location and a number to call back. A real CRA employee will identify themselves and give you a callback number, and the CRA says never to call a number you were given unless you have verified it yourself.
2. End the call, then check the number the caller gave. The CRA’s verification tool asks you to enter “1” followed by the 10-digit number. It does not include the direct work numbers of CRA employees, so a number that is not found means “call the CRA,” not “definitely fake.”
3. Call the CRA yourself. The contact page lists 1-800-959-8281 for individuals and 1-800-959-5525 for businesses, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. Those lines can offer a callback, and the CRA says it gives you a randomized four-digit confirmation number that the agent repeats when they ring back.
4. Look at My Account. The CRA tells people who are unsure about a contact to check My Account or call the numbers above, not to pay on the spot.

Service Canada and the “blocked SIN” call

Service Canada says on its fraud page that it will not ask you for personal information by phone call, text message or email. If someone claims to work for Service Canada, contact the program yourself on 1 800 O-Canada (1-800-622-6232); an officer will also check whether the person’s name is on the list of Service Canada investigators. Service Canada does sometimes leave voicemails asking you to call back, but it says that not every message claiming to be from Service Canada is genuine.

Employment and Social Development Canada tells people to be cautious of any call, text or email that claims your SIN is compromised or threatens to lock or cancel it, and never to give your SIN by phone unless you made the call and know it is legally required.

If you live in Quebec: Revenu Québec

Revenu Québec says it never notifies you by email or text that you are owed a refund or received a payment, and never asks for your SIN, banking details or a password that way. It does phone people in one situation, a collection file in progress, from a short list of numbers it publishes. If a voicemail asks you to call back, check the number against that list on its verification page. To report a phishing attempt, its toll-free line in Quebec is 1 800 267-6299.

If you already paid or gave details

1. Your financial institution first, the one that transferred the money. The CAFC lists this as the first step after collecting your documents.
2. Local police, and ask for a file number.
3. The CAFC, online at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca or on 1-888-495-8501 (Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Eastern). Report attempts too. See reporting fraud to the CAFC.
4. The CRA, if you gave your CRA sign-in details or banking information or notice unrequested changes to your account: 1-833-995-2336 for individuals, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time. The CRA says protections can be placed on your account during the call.
5. Service Canada,on 1-866-274-6627, if you think someone is using your SIN. Employment and Social Development Canada’s steps are a police report, a CAFC report and a fraud alert with both credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion. A new SIN is not recommended and does not erase the old one.

Expect a second approach. The CAFC warns that fraudsters often target victims again, offering to recover the money. The CAFC, police and government agencies will not ask you for a fee to get your money back.

Short answers

Does the CRA ever phone me?

Yes. The CRA lists calls to say a return or GST/HST registration is under review, to tell you an assessment has been sent or an audit is starting, and to ask you to pay an amount owing through its payment options. It also sends courtesy reminders by automated message. It does not threaten arrest and does not ask for payment in gift cards, crypto or e-transfers.

The caller already knew my address. Is that proof?

No. Knowing your address does not make a call official. The CRA says not to rely on the number displayed on your phone, and that applies to what the caller tells you too: hang up and use a number you looked up yourself.

What if I am not sure whether I owe tax?

Check My Account or call the CRA on the numbers above before you pay anything.

This page summarises published guidance from the agencies named above, checked on 24 October 2026. It is not legal advice. Numbers and hours change, so confirm them on the agency’s page.