It’s tax season, which means people should be on high alert for possible CRA scams making the rounds.

The deadline to file taxes is Monday, May 2.

Kristen Matthews, Marketing and Communications Manager with the Better Business Bureau, says the scams will often start with a phone call.

They’ll say a person owes money in back taxes and put pressure on the person to pay immediately with prepaid cards or a wire transfer.

Matthews explains that sometimes they’ll target post-secondary students by saying they owe money on a federal student tax.

As well, scammers may try to get personal information out of someone by offering them a tax refund.

Matthews cautions that anyone can be targeted.

They had a report recently of a woman in her 20s being conned into paying $10,000 in gift cards to scammers. She says it’s not just older people or vulnerable populations being targeted.

To avoid being scammed, Matthews says to be mindful of what the CRA will and will not do. Their first point of contact will always be by mail, so contact via text messages, emails, and social media are red flags.