December 2017- Identity theft is rampant.  Be safe! Most fraudulent emails will include at least one link to direct recipients to a website and enter personal information as a means of identity theft. To start, instead of clicking on a link, hover over it with a mouse to display a dead giveaway: a URL that isn’t associated with the bank, financial institution, or company the email is supposedly from As we approach tax season, there is a proliferation of email scams that impersonate the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).  If you receive a message from CRA –visit the CRA website directly. CRA does not send emails with hyperlinks, nor does it request personal or financial information. In addition to warning alerts often found on the home page, CRA currently provides transcripts of fraudulent emails, phone calls, letters, text messages and refund forms at canada.ca as a frame of reference. Also know that a bank, for example, follows a strict protocol, and would never email an alert asking a recipient to click on a link to change a password; if there were any problems with an account, you would not be contacted directly via email