A Windsor woman knew what she was doing when she returned a voice message from a caller claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency.
After receiving two phone calls stating a lawsuit was pending against her, Lucie Bellerive first called the agency herself, and sure enough, her taxes were paid in full. A representative told her the CRA will send communications through the mail if taxes are owing, do not take gift cards as payment and never make threats.
Confident that the message was a scam, she returned the call, gave the woman who answered a fictitious name and rolled tape.
Bellerive also has experience working in payroll and accounting, so she knew what she should expect if the call was legitimate.
"She just seemed like an amateur," she says. "First of all, [a legitimate caller from the Canada Revenue Agency] will give you their name and they'll give you their badge number. They'll even ask for a social insurance number, and she never did."
The audio of the five-minute recording, uploaded to YouTube.com, drops out each time names and sensitive information are mentioned, but eventually Bellerive elicits a confession from the alleged female scammer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECPbJ1mVidU
The woman on the other end of the line not only confesses she's taking part in an illegal activity, she then tries to explain herself.
"I am a student, and I need the money for my fees," says the woman. "I don't have any other way. I'm not getting a job at any other place."
Bellerive has reported the incident to Windsor police.