The scam is a common one: a phone call claiming to be the Canada Revenue Agency demanding an immediate payment.

If you think it might really be the government calling you about your taxes, you should verify it is before you do anything, experts say.

Cherolle Prince, a financial crimes expert at KPMG, says you want to trust, but verify you really are dealing with the CRA before you give out any information.

B次元官网网址淎sk the right questions to yourself, does this call make sense,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲hy does the CRA need that information? Have I provided that to them already? What would they be doing with that information and why do they need it now?B次元官网网址�

Prince says a red flag may be if the caller is asking for information over the phone that CRA should already have if they are calling you.

B次元官网网址淵es the CRA may ask you questions, but they arenB次元官网网址檛 going to call you and ask for personal information. If you call them, they may ask for personal information as a way to identify you, it is part of their authentication protocol, but they would not call you for that information,B次元官网网址� she said.

CRA spokesman Paul Murphy says if youB次元官网网址檙e unsure it really is the tax agency calling that you should to ask the caller for their name, which CRA office they are calling from and their phone number.

Then, Murphy says, hang up and contact CRA using the general inquiry number on the agencyB次元官网网址檚 website before you provide any information and ask them to verify that the call was legitimate.

B次元官网网址淭he call display option isnB次元官网网址檛 always the best because these scammers will use technology to spoof that they are calling from Canada, that they are calling from Ottawa or what have you,B次元官网网址� he said.

Murphy says CRA will never demand immediate payment in Bitcoin or gift cards.

Another red flag, Murphy says, is if the caller tells you not to talk to anyone such as a family member or your accountant about the matter.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 not something a CRA employee would ever demand of you. You have a right to have representation, you have the right to talk to somebody about your personal tax dealings before you deal with the CRA,B次元官网网址� he said.

Just because CRA is calling it doesnB次元官网网址檛 mean youB次元官网网址檙e facing an audit. In most cases, the agency says, it is a routine check.

Depending on the circumstances, if you filed your tax return electronically, the agency may be seeking things like RRSP or charitable contribution receipts that would have been filed if you had filed a paper tax return.

Carmela Pallotto, a tax partner at KPMG, says an initial phone call from CRA is very rare.

B次元官网网址淚t is not unheard of, but normally they would correspond by mail and not by email either,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淭hey do not email unless youB次元官网网址檝e already entered into some sort of dialogue with them and youB次元官网网址檝e asked them to email you something and even then they are extremely hesitant to email you anything, thatB次元官网网址檚 just not the way they operate.B次元官网网址�

Pallotto said if the caller is demanding immediate payment, thatB次元官网网址檚 just not how CRA works.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 never immediate. They usually give you a period of time to respond to a request because they understand you might not have everything readily available,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淵ou shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be afraid to have to call CRA back.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擟raig Wong, The Canadian Press