Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) wants to help you protect your personal information. 

They have offered these tips to tax payers:

  • Use their digital services to verify your tax information – You can use My Account or the MyCRA mobile web app to see if you owe money.

  •  Get updates when account changes are made – Sign up for email notifications in My Account or My Business Account. 

  • Confirm it’s the CRA before giving money or personal information – Scammers often pretend to be CRA employees. They will mislead Canadians into paying fake debt or to steal their information for identity theft. If you’re not sure if the person on the other end is a CRA employee, you can ask for their badge number, name, and call the CRA to confirm.

  • Create a personal identification number (PIN) – You can create a PIN when calling the CRA. A PIN is a fast and secure way to identify yourself, and it can help them determine if someone is impersonating you. You can set up a PIN in My Account or with the help of their call centre agents.

  • If you think you may be a victim of identity fraud or have given away personal or financial information, you can report the case to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centreonline or by calling 1-888-495-8501. Call the CRA to ask for extra security to be placed on your account. Contact Service Canada at 1-800-206-7218 if your social insurance number (SIN) has been stolen. Call the CRA to cancel online access to your information in the CRA login services. And find out if you qualify for taxpayer relief for interest or penalties you are charged because you are not able to meet your tax obligations as a result of the fraud.

More information on protecting yourself is available online.