The CRA Says A Grocery Rebate Scam Is Circulating & You Should Double-Check Your Emails
Over $43 million has been lost to scammers in Canada this year so far.
Double check your emails and texts, folks! The Canada Revenue Agency has warned that a Grocery Rebate scam is circulating — just weeks after the payment was initially announced.
On Monday, April 17, the CRA posted a tweet warning Canadians that texts and emails have been circulating from scammers pretending to be the government agency.
The subject of the swindle? The newly-announced Grocery Rebate.
As part of the 2023 budget, the federal government laid out its plans to introduce a one-time payment that would help millions of low-and modest-income Canadians cover the rising cost of groceries.
Facilitated through the GST credit, the rebate is expected to offer up to $234 for a single person with no children, up to $467 for a couple with two children and around $225 for senior citizens.
However, just weeks after the government announced these plans, it seems scammers are already taking advantage of the program.
"Did you get a text or an email claiming to be from the CRA about the Grocery Rebate? It’s a scam!" warned the CRA earlier this week.
It added, "We will not text/email you a link to get a payment or to ask you to fill in a form."
It's worth keeping in mind that, although the Grocery Rebate was announced as part of the budget, it is yet to be formally approved as the legislation to implement the budget has not yet been passed.
"The Grocery Rebate will be delivered after enactment of the legislation," the CRA explained.
An example of the way scammers are using the rebate to target unassuming Canadians is by sending official-looking texts or emails that say things like "The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) sent you a one-time Grocery Rebate payment" and "to receive your payment, click here and complete the form."
Several Twitter users responded to the CRA's tweet to say they'd received similar fraudulent texts or emails from scammers pretending to offer the Grocery Rebate.
"I did get a couple texts....I never replied," one person said.
Another agreed, "Yes I got this type [of] text last week."
Since the beginning of 2023, the CRA says it has received 6,610 reports of fraud and says there have been thousands of victims, with over $43 million lost to scammers.
More details on how to recognize a potential scam can be found online.
The CRA urges anybody who thinks they may have been a victim of fraud to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or report it via the fraud reporting system.