Unscrupulous individuals have not wasted a second and have already begun to try to defraud Quebeckers by using the announcement of a $500 tax credit during the presentation of the Quebec budget.
Fraudsters have started sending text messages with the message “CAQ An Incentive of 500.00 has been sent to residents of Quebec”, accompanied by a hyperlink suggesting that an Interac transfer is waiting for the victims.
???? A fraudulent text message is currently circulating saying that an Interac transfer of $500.00 has been sent to you from us. This is a fraud.
Please do not click on the link‼ pic.twitter.com/PRDYdjnSyD
— Coalition Avenir Quebec (@coalitionavenir) March 23, 2022
“A fraudulent text message is currently circulating saying that an Interac transfer of $500.00 has been sent to you from us. This is a fraud. Please do not click on the link !!”, alarmed the Coalition Avenir Québec in the evening, Tuesday, by sharing a screenshot of the phishing message.
The amount of $500 announced to counter the effects of inflation will obviously not be paid to the 6.4 million eligible Quebecers using a text message.
In fact, the sum will take the form of an automatic tax refund following sending his tax return. Those who have already sent it, however, will have to reach a few weeks before receiving the promised amount.