On Fri, Jul 08, 2011 at 12:18:25PM -0400, Richard Guy Briggs wrote: > On Fri, Jul 08, 2011 at 12:04:19PM -0400, Brenda J. Butler wrote: > > > > Yes, I'm trying to determine if a notice I got from GOC (paper, via > > postal mail) is valid ... it looks real, but the person and phone > > number are not in GEDS (Government Electronic Directory Service). > > Gut feel is that it's real, but how on earth can I verify without > > using the phone numbers on the letter? > > > > ... I've asked my MP but no answer yet. I might need to call back > > and ask again. > > I don't think I'd go through my MP, but that's one route. I'd try to > contact via the published contact information for that GOC > ministry/department in the blue pages. I checked that first, but there was nothing there for the group that sent me the letter. Which of course, makes me suspicious, but doesn't definitively answer the question. Canada Revenue Agency has numbers for verifying stuff about income taxes and benefits, but nothing for verifying stuff from "pension verification and validation" groups that are demanding to see paperwork from 2008, with a 1 month deadline. http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/cntct/phn-eng.html http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/ntcs/bwr-eng.html They have numbers you can call if you've already been a victim of fraud ... I'm not at that stage and I hope to avoid it. bjb