RCMP Superintendent Peter Payne told the media in Ottawa this week that the RCMP are looking at possible involvement of Canadians in CRA phone scams originating from India where police are trying to crack down on the scammers.

Although recent police raids in India have resulted in dozens of arrests, the RCMP feel that the scam is going to continue, even get worse. The scammers are now operating with smaller operations to get away with fraud.

CBC reports that the recent raids were triggered through a visit by Canadian police to Noida, a suburb of New Delhi, following a CBC Marketplace investigation.

CBC said: “India’s Central Bureau of Investigations is now working with a RCMP liaison officer permanently based in India’s capital so that legal action can be taken in India to stop the actions at the source. Those already arrested are facing a series of fraud-related charges.”

The scammers use Canadian phone numbers and when these are identified, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre tries to get it shut down. However, the scammers tend to change the number within 12 hours. Some of those phone numbers are believed to be sourced from Canadian providers, using VOIP (voice over internet protocol) technology, reports the CBC.