Owen Sound Police are reporting a twist, to the Canada Revenue Agency scam.
A 41 year old city resident was contacted by someone saying she owed $3,900 in back taxes as a result of an audit.
The woman was told to make a payment immediately to avoid a fine.
The twist is, the payment was to be made by buying several iTunes gift cards.
Police say the caller was so demanding, he insisted the victim keep an open telephone line while she purchased the gift cards from two separate Owen Sound retailers.
Once the gift cards were activated, she was directed to provide the activation codes to the fraudsters.
Fortunately, Apple was able to freeze the gift cards activity, making them non-redeemable.
According to the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre, there has been a substantial increase in complaints where fraudsters request payment through the purchase of iTunes gift cards.
In 2016 alone, the CAFC has received 46 complaints involving the use of iTunes gift cards as payment with losses totalling over $85,000.
