Beware of fraudulent text messages! Here's how to secure yourself against 'smishing', a type of phone scam.
In a recent development, scammers are preying on the fears of unpaid tolls and traffic violations to swindle money from unsuspecting victims. This "smishing" scam, which uses SMS texts to impersonate trusted businesses or government agencies, is currently targeting North America.
The modus operandi of these scammers is simple yet dangerous. They send texts that create a sense of urgency or fear, threatening unpaid tolls, radar tickets, account suspensions, or fines. These messages often appear to be from trusted sources like Service Ontario, police, or toll collection services, but the sender's contact information or message content may feel off or inconsistent.
The goal is to get victims to click on suspicious links or provide personal information such as credit card numbers, driver’s license info, passwords, or banking details. However, it's crucial to remember that analyzing unsolicited text messages before clicking on links or downloading attachments is recommended.
Some text messages may have prompts to reply with "STOP" or "NO" to stop the text messages, but these should be ignored, and the number should be blocked and the message deleted. Forwarding the text to 7726 (SPAM) can help cellular providers investigate, and reporting smishing attempts to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is also encouraged.
To identify a smishing scam text message, watch out for the following key signs:
- The message comes unexpectedly from an unknown or unfamiliar number.
- It creates a sense of urgency or fear, such as threats related to unpaid tolls, radar tickets, account suspensions, or fines.
- It asks you to click a suspicious link or provide personal information like credit card numbers, driver’s license info, passwords, or banking details.
- It claims to be from a trusted business, government agency, or bank, but the sender’s contact information or message content feels off or inconsistent.
- The text may impersonate agencies like Service Ontario, police, or toll collection services, especially warning about unpaid fines or tolls with threats of penalties.
- The message may ask you to reply with “STOP” or “NO”, but this can also be a ploy and is advised to be ignored.
- The URL links might use sophisticated tricks like punycode to mimic real domains, making the links look very legitimate at first glance but directing to scam sites.
Additional protective actions include verifying the message by contacting the organization directly using official contact information found on their legitimate website, never clicking on suspicious links, and deleting/blocking the number. Reporting spam texts to 7726 (SPAM) can help cellular providers investigate, and reporting smishing attempts to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre is also recommended.
These warnings are especially relevant now as fraudsters target vulnerable people traveling in Canada with texts about unpaid tolls or tickets, leveraging fear to trick victims into revealing sensitive information or paying fake fines. The Competition Bureau of Canada and the Ontario Provincial Police have issued alerts about these texts coming from unknown numbers, and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and Calgary police have also issued similar warnings.
Stay vigilant and share this information with your family and friends to protect yourself from these scams. Always verify the sender before providing any personal information or clicking on links. By taking these precautions, you can help ensure your safety and security.
In light of the escalating smishing scams, it is essential to be aware that such attacks can also manifest in the realm of weather alerts or cybersecurity warnings disguised as technology-related updates. Always verify the sender's authenticity before providing personal information or clicking on links.
Moreover, while it is crucial to stay informed about the latest weather updates, it is equally important to exercise caution when receiving unexpected texts claiming to be from meteorological departments or cybersecurity agencies, particularly when they include requests for sensitive information.
