Skip to content

New email scam takes root in Ponoka

Ponoka residents need to keep a careful watch on their emails as another scam is spreading across cyberspace.

Ponoka residents need to keep a careful watch on their emails as another scam is spreading across cyberspace.

A Ponoka resident wishing to remain anonymous found herself rejoicing on Sept. 5 after opening an email from Revenue Canada saying she was eligible to receive a tax refund of approximately $620. “I thought aren’t I lucky,” she said.

But as she read through the email, more and more red flags popped up. The sender address read 2014 Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) refundonline@canadapost.ca. ‘They never put the year in front of it, and the email address was different.”

The Ponoka resident was also wary because the subject of the email was the amount she was set to receive.

A link was included in the email and when a recipient clicks on it, it will lead to a form asking for the person’s date of birth and social insurance number. “That’s when I really knew something was the matter.”

The resident has done many years of volunteer income tax service for FCSS and on many occasions has had contact with Revenue Canada. “It looks almost exactly like something from Revenue Canada.”

However she knows a social insurance number would not be requested had the email been legitimate.

She contacted Revenue Canada and the RCMP, both were already aware of the scam.