Escape the scam: CRA introduces innovative kiosk to raise awareness
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) unveiled a kiosk at Mic Mac Mall in Dartmouth, N.S., with an escape room theme, aiming to educate the public about the various types of scams targeting Canadians.
“People like to learn by being more hands-on so we’ve set up an interactive experience at the mall. It basically puts people in real-life scenarios and they have to try and determine if something is a scam or if it’s real CRA communications and trying to determine if it’s a scam or not,” explained CRA spokesperson, Jeffery Lansing.
Located on one end of the mall is an eye-catching caution sign, and beside it is a yellow and green cube, grabbing the attention of shoppers.
Inside the cube are three rooms where participants encounter real-life scam scenarios amid day-to-day distractions, and they have less than 10 minutes to figure it out.
Jenna Bartlett and Kyle McIasce were shopping at the mall when they came across the kiosk and decided to give it a shot.
“It was stressful for a minute,” said McIasce.
The outside of a CRA kiosk is seen on April 19, 2024. (Hafsa Arif/CTV Atlantic)
Bartlett said the experience felt very real. “It simulated real life so everything happens at once. You were getting phone calls, you have to make decisions and then we found out there’s a time limit.”
According to the CRA between 2019 and 2023, the reported losses to fraud have skyrocketed, costing Canadians nearly half a billion dollars. However, the costs are believed to be much more because many do not report when they have been scammed.
“Seniors and a lot of newcomers to Canada may not know what to expect from the Canada Revenue Agency,” said Lansing. “They are likely to fall victim.
Next week, the escape room kiosk will travel to Ontario followed by British Columbia.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
'What have we done?' Lawyer describes shock at possible role in Trump's 2016 victory
A lawyer who negotiated a pair of hush money deals at the centre of Donald Trump's criminal trial recalled Thursday his "gallows humor" reaction to Trump's 2016 election victory and the realization that his hidden-hand efforts might have contributed to the win.
Conservative MP says Chinese hacking attack targeted his personal email
A Conservative MP is challenging claims by House of Commons administration that a China-backed hacking attempt did not impact any members of Parliament, because the attack was on his personal email.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Loblaw leaders call criticism 'misguided,' say they aren't to blame for high food prices
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
'Giant-killer' Kazushi Kimura to race in Kentucky Derby this weekend: 'I'm representing Canada and Japan'
Six years ago, at age 18, Kazushi Kimura left his home and family behind in Hokkaido, Japan to chase a dream. This weekend, he'll ride in the Kentucky Derby.
President Joe Biden calls Japan and India 'xenophobic' nations that do not welcome immigrants
President Joe Biden has called Japan and India “xenophobic” countries that do not welcome immigrants, lumping the two with adversaries China and Russia as he tried to explain their economic circumstances and contrasted the four with the U.S. on immigration.