The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scam has been taken to a new level by at least three suspects in Windsor.
Typically the scam involves a phone call or on-line approach to the victim and a threat of jail time if they don't pay an outstanding amount.
Yesterday a Windsor woman in her 40's was victimized in a much more direct way, two people came to her door in the central part of the city.
Windsor police Constable Andrew Drouillard says the perpetrators appeared to be legitimate to the woman.
"While she was on the phone with this male a man and a woman came to her door. Both presented themselves with some type of badges and identifications card as representative from the CRA. They advised her that they would help her settle this debt"
Constable Drouillard says the woman drove to banks to get cash for the suspects.
"They attended a bank in the west end 2600-block of Tecumseh Rd. W., right there the complainant made a withdrawal. And then they proceeded to another bank in the 1400-block of Tecumseh Rd. E. where they made a secondary withdrawal totalling with both of these around $5000"
He says people need to know this is not how the CRA handles people's debts.
"They did pass themselves off as being representatives of CRA. We just want to remind people that this just doesn't happen. The CRA will not demand any cash payment from a person or request payment by moneygrams or other things we see very common are gift cards"
The Suspects were described as:
1) Male, white, 35-40 years, 6'1, 200lbs, brown hair with full beard, wearing a suit.
2) Female, white, 35-40 years, 5'7, 155lbs, blonde hair with brown eyes, wearing business clothes.
Constable Drouillard says police want to get this information out quickly in case anyone else in Windsor is targeted.
He stresses that anyone facing this kind of situation should immediately reach out to police.