If you’re like most of the people I know, you rarely answer calls made from unfamiliar area codes, and when you do, it’s often a recording.

Lately, however, a spate of calls from a local number have appeared to be innocuous but have instead been a recorded voice claiming to be from Service Canada.

Scammers often appear to be calling from a local number, relying on a sense of familiarity to lull their victims into believing the call is legitimate. It’s called spoofing, and it’s more common than you would think.

There are a number of tells, however, that can help you determine whether the call is genuine.

First of all, any pre-recorded call is rarely genuine.

Service Canada, for instance, is not in the habit of making robo-calls (calls that are pre-recorded and made to many people).

In fact, Service Canada rarely calls at all, mostly they exist to help Canadians navigate through federal programs.

These scams appear to increase in activity near tax time, and may also claim to be the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

CRA says, “CRA does not use automated calls under any circumstances. Plus, CRA agents don’t leave any personal information of any kind on messages. In fact, the CRA rarely calls taxpayers.”

Service Canada or Canada Revenue Agents rarely contact you in a way that you are usually not contacted. This includes phone calls, but especially applies to emails, and texts.

Canadian anti-fraud tips say specifically this: “The CRA will not give or ask for personal or financial information by email or ask you to click on a link email you a link that demands you fill in an online form with personal or financial details; and will never send you an email or text with a link to your refund, nor demand immediate payment by Interac e-transfer, bitcoin, prepaid credit cards or gift cards from retailers such as iTunes, Amazon, or others. They will never call to threaten you with arrest or a prison sentence.

“The CRA will never set up a meeting with you in a public place to take a payment.

“The CRA will never use text messages, or instant messaging like Facebook’s Messenger, or WhatsApp to contact you or carry on a conversation about your taxes or government services or benefits.”

Canada Revenue has published details of an actual spam call recording which contains a number of red flags.

“The reason behind this call is to notify you that we have registered a criminal case against your name concerning a tax evasion and tax fraud in the federal court house. So if you want any further information about this case, please make sure you give us a call back as quick as possible to our direct hotline number to the Canada Revenue Agency Headquarters.