SCAM ALERT: $200 rebate cheques lead to fraud warning in Ontario

Eligible Ontario residents have started receiving the $200 payment that was announced by Premier Doug Ford in October, but the province says to be aware of a possible scam tied to the benefit cheques.

On Tuesday, the government’s rebate webpage included a “scam alert,” saying the province will not contact residents by text, email, or phone to ask for personal information like a Social Insurance Number (SIN) or bank account information, offer money or a reward, or “sign you up for a rebate program.”

“The Government of Ontario will only contact you directly in response to a question or query about the rebate you initiated,” the scam warning reads.

The province announced in January that it had begun mailing out the cheques, and a government spokesperson told INsauga.com that cheques are being mailed out according to when an individual filed their taxes.

The $200 taxpayer rebate is being sent to Ontario residents who were 18 years or older at the end of 2023, lived in Ontario on Dec. 31, 2023, filed their 2023 Income Tax and Benefit Returns by Dec. 31, 2024 and are “not bankrupt or incarcerated in 2024,” the website reads.

Children under 18 will also get a $200 taxpayer rebate that “in most situations” will be made “to the person(s) who receives the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) in respect of the child and is a resident of Ontario.”

Ontarians can monitor the status of their payments and check if they are eligible online.

The rebate is intended to help Ontario families struggling with the high costs of the federal carbon tax and interest rates, Ford said when announcing the payments. The province’s website says the money “will give immediate relief for Ontario families in the face of high interest rates and the federal carbon tax.”

Ford has been accused by critics of using the cash to grab the attention of voters ahead of a snap election.