CBC, trying hard not to get defunded.
At the height of this year’s tax season, the Canada Revenue Agency discovered that hackers had obtained confidential data used by one of the country’s largest tax preparation firms, H&R Block Canada.
Imposters used the company’s confidential credentials to get unauthorized access into hundreds of Canadians’ personal CRA accounts, change direct deposit information, submit false returns and pocket more than $6 million in bogus refunds from the public purse, an investigation by CBC’s The Fifth Estate and Radio-Canada has found.
In one case, the hackers filed a return with a legitimate postal code, but a fake address on a non-existent Tomato Street.
“Obviously the door is open and some people are infiltrating the system,” André Lareau, an associate tax professor at Laval University in Quebec City, said in an interview. “But the CRA does not seem to have found the key to lock the door.”
According to sources, the crisis prompted the CRA to contact the office of Revenue Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.
In the end, the public was never alerted to the scheme.
I thought there were laws about that.
This is your reminder that experts within our institutions and government have designed hardened systems that guarantee maximum security and public trust, including elections.
Gee, I would’ve thought the Liberal Party of Canada (that upstanding institution representing all Canadians as our government) would report rampant criminality and theft of money and personal information immediately to their electorate and get to the bottom of it post haste.
Stunning incompetence or -policy-?
Hard to tell the difference with the Libs.
Colour me surprise-red. The Libs have to fund their spending habits somehow. They can’t raise taxes or capitals gains or inheritance taxes fast enough to keep the money laundering mega-machine with Zelinsky rolling.
The link to the existing law is giving a 404
There was an extra /s on the address.
https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/business-privacy/safeguards-and-breaches/privacy-breaches/respond-to-a-privacy-breach-at-your-business/gd_pb_201810
Could be related:
My 81 year old sister recently received a legit appearing letter from CRA asking for her 2023 income from employment.
Strippers make pretty good money, P F M.
(Hey. Just teasin ya. Hope I make 81.)
Why do I get the sense that’s she’s omitting an “m” from her name?
CRA is worried about public support for the agency. That ship sailed off course decades ago.
No one who has any intelligence, knowledge or speaking English ability answers the phone any more.