By: Christian Collington, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, TheIFP.ca
Ontario Provincial Police’s (OPP) Dufferin detachment has issued a warning about a text message scam notifying recipients they must pay a speed camera fine.
While the warning stems from a local report, police indicate the scam appears to be active across Ontario.
In a Dec. 8 news release, Dufferin OPP said a victim received a text message claiming they had been issued a speed camera fine. The text included a link that appeared to lead to a secure ServiceOntario payment page.
Believing the message to be legitimate, the victim paid what appeared to be a $12 fine. However, the transaction was a trap designed to obtain the person’s credit card information.
By submitting the payment, the victim unknowingly granted the fraudster access to their financial data, police said. Shortly after, the scammer attempted to withdraw $750 from the card.
However, police reported, the credit card company detected the suspicious transaction, cancelled the card and prevented further losses.
Police said the victim later received a second, similar text message and shared a screenshot to help bring public awareness to the scam.
Const. Andrew Fines said Dufferin OPP have received a “handful” of official complaints describing this specific scam, but these numbers likely represent only a fraction of actual activity.
He said “on average, less than five to 10 per cent of frauds get reported annually. I am sure that more have not been reported.”
Fines said police do not have data to indicate any specific age group is being singled out by the scammers.
Legislation passed into law by the province earlier this year barred municipalities from using speed cameras as of Nov. 14.
OPP is reminding the public that the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) adheres to strict protocols regarding fines and residents should be aware:
The MTO does not send notifications of fines by text message.
Legitimate provincial offence notices, including speed camera fines, are delivered exclusively by mail.
The MTO does not collect or use personal phone numbers for enforcement notifications.
Police are reminding the public to not click on links in unsolicited text messages, even if they appear to come from official government agencies.
For those who believe they may have been victims of fraud, OPP advises them to contact local police and report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre either by phone or online.
Also, anyone who wishes to report a similar incident or has information related to this scam can contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
To remain anonymous, individuals can contact Crime Stoppers over the phone or online.
Discover more from The Milton Reporter
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
