Canada Revenue Agency warns of fake refund texts and $704 million fraud
The canada revenue agency is warning Canadians about a new surge in impersonation scams that use text messages to claim a tax refund is waiting. The messages tell recipients to click a link immediately, then steer them to a page that can mimic the government’s My Account portal.
Some of the texts display the CRA name and a refund amount, then press recipients to act fast. If someone enters information on the spoofed site, scammers can gain access to banking credentials, social insurance numbers and other sensitive personal information.
CRA texts and fake refunds
The agency said it does not send text messages or emails asking Canadians to click a link to collect a refund. It also said it will never send a text containing a link and ask someone to log in or confirm personal information. The fraudulent messages instead claim there is an unprocessed tax refund and warn the recipient to verify identity now or lose it.
The links can lead to websites that closely mirror CRA branding, which makes the messages harder to spot at a glance. The scam works by borrowing the language people expect around tax time and turning that into pressure.
My Account and smishing
The CRA said the risk has grown as scammers increasingly use smishing, or phishing by text. Canadians also increasingly trust texts over emails and are more likely to act on them quickly, especially during and after tax season when many are already expecting CRA correspondence.
Millions of Canadians regularly use CRA My Account, and the agency said that broad familiarity gives the scam a wider target set. Seniors, newcomers to Canada and first-time tax filers are often singled out because they may be less familiar with how the CRA communicates.
Fraud losses in 2025
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre tracked more than $704 million in total fraud losses reported by Canadians in 2025. The centre said that figure significantly understates actual losses because most fraud goes unreported, a gap that leaves the scale of text-based scams harder to measure.
For anyone who gets one of these texts, the safest step is the one the CRA already laid out: do not click the link and do not use it to log in or enter personal details. A message that demands immediate action to claim a refund is the warning sign, not the proof.
