CRA locks online accounts amid investigation, leaving users worried - CBC.ca | Canada News Media
Connect with us

News

CRA locks online accounts amid investigation, leaving users worried – CBC.ca

Published

 on


The Canada Revenue Agency has locked an unknown number of taxpayers out of its online platform, telling users their email addresses have been removed from their accounts with little explanation.

Dozens of users took to social media on Tuesday and Wednesday to report encountering the same “error 021” on their accounts. Several said they spent hours waiting on CRA’s helpline to get their accounts unlocked, but either received little information or no response at all. The issue was first reported by the Daily Hive website.

“After being on hold for nearly three hours, the phone disconnected,” one user, Jason Bell, wrote to CBC News. “My only emotion right now is worry. Worry that my account, finances or identity have been tampered with.”

A CRA spokesperson told CBC on Tuesday night that taxpayers who are registered for online account alerts “may receive a notification from the CRA indicating that their email address has been removed from their account.” 

Christopher Doody, a CRA media relations representative, said in an email it was meant “as a security precaution in the context of ongoing investigative work, and is not due to a cyber security breach of CRA systems.” He said affected users can expect a letter in the mail with instructions on how to unlock their account.

Doody did not immediately respond to a request for clarification as to the nature of the investigation or why so many accounts had been locked all of a sudden. Affected users appeared across the country, from at least B.C. to New Brunswick, and not all had applied for recent pandemic-related relief, such as CERB. 

‘Is my whole account frozen?’

It’s unclear whether taxpayers receiving a subsidy will be able to access the money while their account is locked. After thousands of accounts were breached last year, CRA told affected users it would “temporarily stop sending any benefit and credit payments to you until your identity has been validated and access to your account has been restored.”

Félicia-May Stevenson, who runs a kids’ face painting service and other art projects in Gatineau, Que., told CBC she’s unable to re-apply for the Canada Recovery Benefit that she’s been receiving. “Beyond that, is my Canada child benefit going to come in this week?” she wondered. “Is my whole account frozen?”

CRA said earlier this month it had hired additional call centre agents for what promises to be an exceptionally busy tax season amid the pandemic.

When a reporter dialled a CRA helpline on Tuesday night, he was told to call back later “due to high demand.” A recording said “all of our agents are currently busy and our agent queues are full.”

Let’s block ads! (Why?)



Source link

Continue Reading

News

RCMP arrest second suspect in deadly shooting east of Calgary

Published

 on

 

EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.

Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.

Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.

Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.

Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.

RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.

Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.

“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.

But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.

“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.

While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

News

26-year-old son is accused of his father’s murder on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast

Published

 on

RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.

Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.

The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.

It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.

Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.

The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

News

Metro Vancouver’s HandyDART strike continues after talks break with no deal

Published

 on

 

VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.

Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”

However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.

McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”

About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.

McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.

He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.

The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version