In short
Most common fake: You have a CRA refund waiting, accept it by Interac e-Transfer.
Safest check: Sign in to My Account by typing canada.ca into your browser to see real messages and balances.
Where to report it: Tell the CRA about suspicious activity on your account using its online form or by phone (1-833-995-2336 for individuals).
What CRA says
The CRA says it will never send refunds by Interac e-Transfer or text, demand immediate payment by e-Transfer, crypto, prepaid cards or gift cards, or threaten to arrest or deport you. It only texts for sign-in verification codes if you enrolled with a phone, and its emails never contain links asking you to enter personal or financial information. Source: Canada Revenue Agency
Common fake CRA messages
These are the 5 shapes a fake CRA message usually takes. They are listed in the order we see them most often, and none of them is something CRA itself does.
- You have a CRA refund waiting, accept it by Interac e-Transfer
- You owe taxes and police will arrest you unless you pay today
- Claim a benefit or tax credit you never applied for through this link
- Your CRA account is locked, verify your identity and SIN
- Pay your balance with gift cards or cryptocurrency
CRA's real web addresses
Genuine CRA links and emails use these domains. Look at the part just before the first single slash: canada.ca is real, but canada-support-center.com or canada.ca.account-check.top are not.
- canada.ca
- cra-arc.gc.ca
Scammers can also hide a fake link behind real-looking text. Learn how to read a web address.
How to check a CRA message safely
- Sign in to My Account by typing canada.ca into your browser to see real messages and balances
- Call the CRA on a number listed on canada.ca to check whether it contacted you
- Remember the CRA never sends refunds by text or e-Transfer
- Hang up on anyone threatening arrest or asking for gift cards or crypto
How to report a fake CRA message
- Tell the CRA about suspicious activity on your account using its online form or by phone (1-833-995-2336 for individuals). Official details on canada.ca
- Report the scam to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or on 1-888-495-8501. Official details on antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
- Forward suspicious texts to 7726 (SPAM). Official details on canada.ca
Also report it to the official fraud service in your country. See the worldwide list.
If you clicked, paid or shared details
Act quickly. It makes a difference.
- If you entered card or bank details, call your bank now using the number on your card, and ask them to block the card.
- If you entered a password, change it at canada.ca, typed into your browser yourself, and turn on two-step verification. Do not use any link from the message.
- Expect follow-up calls or messages pretending to help, sometimes claiming to be from CRA security. Never share one-time codes and never move money to a "safe account".
- Tell the CRA about suspicious activity on your account using its online form or by phone (1-833-995-2336 for individuals), then delete the message.
More help: Fake tax refunds, government payments and fines and what to do after a scam.
How to protect yourself next time
Watch for anyone using your identity
If you shared ID documents, card details or a Social Security number, monitoring can alert you when someone opens credit or accounts in your name.
Free: In the US, a credit freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion is free and blocks most new-credit fraud. Elsewhere, ask your bank and your credit reference agency about fraud alerts.
- Aura Partner link US identity theft protection with credit monitoring and fraud insurance.
Take your details off data broker sites
Scammers buy phone numbers, home addresses and family details from people-search and data broker sites. The less of that is public, the fewer and less convincing the scam messages you get.
Free: You can ask each site to delete your details yourself. In the EU and the UK, data protection law gives you that right.
- Incogni Partner link Sends removal requests to data brokers for you, and keeps sending them.
Compare the tools that help, and what each costs
Links marked Partner link may earn us a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes our advice, and the free option always comes first. Affiliate disclosure.
Questions people ask
Does CRA send messages asking for payment or personal details?
The CRA says it will never send refunds by Interac e-Transfer or text, demand immediate payment by e-Transfer, crypto, prepaid cards or gift cards, or threaten to arrest or deport you. It only texts for sign-in verification codes if you enrolled with a phone, and its emails never contain links asking you to enter personal or financial information.
How can I check if a CRA message is real?
Sign in to My Account by typing canada.ca into your browser to see real messages and balances. Call the CRA on a number listed on canada.ca to check whether it contacted you. Remember the CRA never sends refunds by text or e-Transfer. Hang up on anyone threatening arrest or asking for gift cards or crypto.
How do I report a fake CRA message?
Tell the CRA about suspicious activity on your account using its online form or by phone (1-833-995-2336 for individuals). Report the scam to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or on 1-888-495-8501. Forward suspicious texts to 7726 (SPAM).
I clicked a link in a fake CRA message but did not enter anything. Am I at risk?
Opening a link is far less serious than filling one in. Close it, and if you need your account, reach it by typing canada.ca yourself. Clicking does tell the sender your number is live, so expect more messages for a while: tell the cra about suspicious activity on your account using its online form or by phone (1-833-995-2336 for individuals).
Have you had this one?
Tell other people what the message said and how it reached you. It helps someone recognise it before they tap.
No stories yet. Yours could be the one that warns someone.
Official sources and further reading
We check our pages against official advice from the organisations themselves and from government agencies.
- Recognize a scam (Canada Revenue Agency)
- Report a scam (Canada Revenue Agency)
- Report fraud and cybercrime (Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre)