Thompson woman shocked, but not convinced, by CRA phone scam

A northern Manitoba woman says she had quite the scare last weekwhen a man phoned her claiming to have a warrant for her arrest on fraud and tax evasion charges.

Moreen Cox says the man who called her Thompson home on June 19 claimed to be a police officer and had specific information from one of her old tax files.

"It was so close to what the information actually was that I had no reason not to believe him," she told CBC News.

"I'm thinking, 'Holy crap, they're coming for me! They're actually going to come and arrest me.'"

Cox said she thought something was fishy, so she told the man to send the police to her door. That was when he hung up, she said.

She then called RCMP and learned the phone call was actually a scam.

Scam targetspeople across Canada

"They said, 'No, there isn't an arrest warrant out for you and that's not the way things are done.' I said I didn't think so. But it was real to me, it was very real," she said.

"I'm not a stupid person, I just couldn't believe that they sucked me in."

Cox said the caller did not ask for her credit card, but police say that was what the scam artist would've been looking for.

Cox is one of numerous Canadians who have been exposed to the phone scam, in which a fraudster poses as a police officer oragent with the Canada Revenue Agency. People are told they owe tax money and must pay up.

• CRA phone scam uses fear of tax man to swindle 'not so smart' Canadians

The scammer threatens people that if they don't act fast, their assets would be frozen and police would arrest them.

Victims are often instructed to pay the debt by wiring money or by purchasing prepaid credit cards and then telling the thieves the cards' codes so they can access them.

Police are warning those who get such a call not to give out personal information or transfer money.