South Simcoe police issue fraud alert over parking-ticket text

Got a text about an unpaid parking ticket? Yeah, that’s a scam. 

South Simcoe police have issued a fraud alert after getting reports of a text circulating within its jurisdiction, which asks recipients to click on a link and pay the apparent ticket by the end of the day to avoid “extra fees and penalties." 

“We've been made aware of a text circulating in our communities,” the department said in a social-media post issued Friday morning. “The Town of Innisfil and the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury do not communicate with residents in this manner. This is what's called a 'phishing scam'.” 

Phishing is an attack where a scammer calls, texts or emails you, or uses social media to trick someone into clicking a malicious link, downloading malware, or sharing sensitive information. Phishing attempts are often generic mass messages, but it appears to be legitimate and from a trusted source, like a bank or government institution. 

“If you receive a text like this, don't respond and delete it,” police wrote. 

If you don’t recognize the sender’s name, email address or phone number, they make an urgent request with a deadline, or they want personal or confidential information, it’s probably a scam. Other signs of fraud include a lot of spelling or grammar errors in the message, the offer sounding too good to be true, the caller’s voice having a robotic tone or unnatural rhythm to their speech, or poor audio quality on the call. 

If you are a victim of fraud, report it to police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501. For further information on scams, including prevention tips, visit antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.