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RCMP warn of tax fraud

Police are warning Stettler area residents to be wary of Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scams now that tax season is upon the...
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A man was arrested in Red Deer on Thursday

Police are warning Stettler area residents to be wary of Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scams now that tax season is upon the province.

The "phishing" emails tell the reader that they are entitled to a refund, or are owing a certain amount of money that must be paid or police will be involved.

In both cases, the scammers ask for banking information to either deposit or withdraw the money, or collect personal information such as social insurance number, date of birth, full name and address.

"Should you receive this type of scam via email or phone call, I suggest you delete the email or terminate the call and contact CRA directly to confirm if you are indeed entitled to a refund," RCMP Cst. Yelene Avoine said.

CRA phishing scams aren't the only fraud activities taking place in central Alberta.

On Thursday, Dec. 1, Red Deer RCMP were called to a bank around 5 p.m. after receiving reports of a man behaving suspiciously.

According to police, the man was trying to cash fraudulent cheques.

Michael Gary Bishop, 34, was arrested after a fight with police and an attempt to escape the area, and has been charged with assault on police officer, resist/obstruct a peace officer, possession of stolen property under $5,000, fraud under $5,000, and fail to comply with probation orders.

For more on fraudulent activities in the Stettler area, see our previous RCMP report.