The CRA may contact you over the phone, by e-mail or mail.

By Phone

By phone, the CRA may:

• Verify your identity by asking for personal information such as your full name, date of birth, address and account, or social insurance number.
• Ask for details about your account, in the case of a business enquiry.
• Call you to begin an audit process.

By phone, the CRA will NOT:

• Ask for information about your passport, health card, or driver's license.
• Demand immediate payment by Interac e-transfer, bitcoin, prepaid credit cards or gift cards from retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, or others.
• Use aggressive language or threaten you with arrest or sending the police.
• Leave voicemails that are threatening or give personal or financial information.

See also 'CRA’s My Account'

By Email

By email, the CRA may:

• Notify you by email when a new message or a document, such as a notice of assessment or reassessment, is available for you to view in secure CRA portals such as My Account, My Business Account, or Represent a Client.
• Email you a link to a CRA webpage, form, or publication that you ask for during a telephone call or a meeting with an agent (this is the only case where the CRA will send an email containing links).

By email, the CRA will NOT:

• Give or ask for personal or financial information by email and ask you to click on a link email you a link asking you to fill in an online form with personal or financial details.
• Send you an email with a link to your refund.
• Demand immediate payment by Interac e-transfer, bitcoin, prepaid credit cards or gift cards from retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, or others threaten you with arrest or a prison sentence.

By Mail

By mail, the CRA may:

• Ask for financial information such as the name of your bank and its location.
• Send you a notice of assessment or reassessment.
• Ask you to pay an amount you owe through any of the CRA's payment options.
• Take legal action to recover the money you owe, if you refuse to pay your debt.
• Write to you to begin an audit process.

By mail, the CRA will NOT:

• Set up a meeting with you in a public place to take a payment.
• Demand immediate payment by Interac e-transfer, bitcoin, prepaid credit cards or gift cards from retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, or others.
• Threaten you with arrest or a prison sentence.

See also 'CRA Tax Filing Changes for 2020'The CRA never uses text messages or instant messaging such as Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp to communicate with taxpayers under any circumstance. If a taxpayer receives a text or instant messages claiming to be from the CRA, they are scams!For more information, visit CRA’s website to see how CRA may contact you and report any fraudulent activities!