Important security information
Phishing, brand spoofing and email fraud
Security requirements
Clearing your cache
Phishing, brand spoofing and email fraud
Phishing (pronounced "fishing" and also referred to as brand spoofing) is a type of fraud that is designed to trick individuals into disclosing confidential and financial information for the purpose of identity theft. Perpetrators send out emails, falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to obtain personal information from the email recipient. The email usually directs the user to visit or click on links that will take them to a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as User Ids, passwords, account numbers, etc. The Web site, however, is a scam and is designed only to steal the user's information. For more information, see Phishing or Brand Spoofing (Royal Canadian Mounted Police).
If you do receive a fraudulent message purporting to be the CRA in your email do not respond and delete it from your Inbox. For more information, see Taxpayer alert: Don't be fooled by unsolicited e-mails or phone calls!
As a general rule, you should not provide your confidential and financial information over the Internet in response to unsolicited requests you receive. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will never ask you to provide us with your personal information by email. If you receive such a request, do not respond and delete it from your Inbox. See what you can do to protect your personal information. For more information, see our Taxpayer alert: Don't be fooled by unsolicited e-mails or phone calls!.
The Canada Revenue Agency takes the confidentiality of your information very seriously. We use sophisticated security techniques to protect our site and your privacy. Powerful encryption technology and security procedures protect your personal information at all times. That's why you have to use approved security protocols to view your personal information or manage your personal income tax and benefit account online.
To use these CRA epass services, your browser must use 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) 3.0 encryption. For more information, see Your browser.
After you complete a secure transaction, you should clear your browser's cache or close and reopen your browser. Information stored in the browser's cache is not encrypted, so clearing the cache helps to ensure the security of your information. If you are using Netscape Navigator, clear both your browser's disk cache and memory cache. If you are using Internet Explorer, clear your disk cache, then close and reopen your browser. If you are using Safari, select the Safari menu and select clear cache, then close and reopen your browser.
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