What are the red flags of this scam?

You received an unsolicited text or email about a CRA rebate with a link to 'accept' a deposit — the CRA never sends rebates via Interac e-Transfer • The link asks you to log into your online banking through a third-party site — real Interac e-Transfer deposits are accepted through your bank's own app or website • The text arrives around a quarterly distribution date (mid-January, mid-April, mid-July, mid-October) — scammers time these messages to coincide with real rebate deposits • The site looks like a Government of Canada page or your bank's login but the domain is not canada.ca, your bank's real domain, or interac.ca • You are asked for your SIN, date of birth, or credit card number 'to verify the payment' — real CRA rebates never require this • The text was sent from an ordinary cell number or a random short code — not an official government sender ID

What should I do if this happened to me?

Do not click links in unsolicited texts or emails about government rebates — go directly to canada.ca/cra-my-account (type it yourself) to see any real outstanding payments • The CRA sends rebates and credits by cheque or direct deposit to your bank account on file — it never uses Interac e-Transfer; any text claiming otherwise is fraud • If you clicked the link and entered your banking credentials, call your bank immediately and ask them to flag your account for unauthorized access • If you entered your SIN or date of birth, place a fraud alert with Equifax Canada (1-800-465-7166) and TransUnion Canada (1-800-663-9980) • Forward phishing texts to 7726 (SPAM) and report the URL to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security at cccs.gc.ca • Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.

HIGH phishing Last reported: Oct 18, 2026 Share

A text says the CRA has a Carbon Tax Rebate e-Transfer waiting — clicking the link steals your banking password

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. A text or email claims the CRA has a Carbon Tax Rebate e-Transfer ready for you to accept. Clicking the link opens a fake banking portal that steals your credentials. The CRA never sends rebates by Interac e-Transfer.

A text or email claims the CRA has a Carbon Tax Rebate e-Transfer ready for you to accept. Clicking the link opens a fake banking portal that steals your credentials. The CRA never sends rebates by Interac e-Transfer.

Also known as: Canada Carbon Tax Rebate scam text, fake CRA e-Transfer rebate text, carbon rebate phishing Canada, climate action incentive scam, fake CRA rebate link, CAIP smishing scam Canada

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.

What to do right now

1 Do not click links in unsolicited texts or emails about government rebates — go directly to canada.ca/cra-my-account (type it yourself) to see any real outstanding payments
2 The CRA sends rebates and credits by cheque or direct deposit to your bank account on file — it never uses Interac e-Transfer; any text claiming otherwise is fraud
3 If you clicked the link and entered your banking credentials, call your bank immediately and ask them to flag your account for unauthorized access
4 If you entered your SIN or date of birth, place a fraud alert with Equifax Canada (1-800-465-7166) and TransUnion Canada (1-800-663-9980)
5 Forward phishing texts to 7726 (SPAM) and report the URL to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security at cccs.gc.ca
6 Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.

Red flags

⚠ You received an unsolicited text or email about a CRA rebate with a link to 'accept' a deposit — the CRA never sends rebates via Interac e-Transfer
⚠ The link asks you to log into your online banking through a third-party site — real Interac e-Transfer deposits are accepted through your bank's own app or website
⚠ The text arrives around a quarterly distribution date (mid-January, mid-April, mid-July, mid-October) — scammers time these messages to coincide with real rebate deposits
⚠ The site looks like a Government of Canada page or your bank's login but the domain is not canada.ca, your bank's real domain, or interac.ca
⚠ You are asked for your SIN, date of birth, or credit card number 'to verify the payment' — real CRA rebates never require this
⚠ The text was sent from an ordinary cell number or a random short code — not an official government sender ID

Known variants

'Carbon Relief payment' post-cancellation variant: texts claim the CRA is issuing a new $2,000 (or $1,200 or $800) 'Carbon Relief payment' to compensate for the end of the consumer carbon rebate. There is no such program. The carbon rebate ended April 1, 2025; any text claiming a new payment is a scam.

Last seen: 10/18/2026

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Known variants

Sources