VPD say woman who lost $6,000 in CRA scam 'exaggerated' her story
After a warning was issued yesterday about a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scam – in which a woman said scammers posing as law enforcement showed up at her house and robbed her of $6,000 – Vancouver Police now say the woman exaggerated the report and no scammers were physically involved.
In a release on Friday, VPD confirmed that the 58-year-old victim “exaggerated her report, and at no time was she physically approached by people claiming to be police officers.”
The VPD issued a public warning on Thursday regarding a report that the woman had received a phone call from someone claiming to be from the CRA and was later “arrested” by two men in police uniforms.
“Major Crime detectives have confirmed that the woman was scammed out of $6,000, but at no time did she deal with anyone in person,” said the VPD in a statement.
This CRA scam, they added, was “no different” than other telephone scams reported in the past.
“Based on the seriousness of the information originally reported by the victim, a team of Major Crime investigators were reassigned to focus on and prioritize this incident,” said VPD Const. Jason Doucette. “Detectives confirmed this morning that the victim was embarrassed for falling for the scam and panicked, deciding to exaggerate her story to include fake police.”
Now, said Doucette, “our officers will continue with their investigation and will consider available options.”
The VPD is also reminding people that the CRA will not threaten people with arrest, send the police to collect funds, or accept Bitcoin and gift cards as payment. Anyone who has been a victim of a CRA scam, or any crime, is encouraged to make a report with their local police.
More information is available on the Government of Canada website.
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