The federal government is warning Canadians about a rise in smishing scams, where fraudsters use text messages to impersonate trusted organizations and trick people into sharing personal information.
Recent examples include messages about unpaid highway tolls or suspicious account activity that urge recipients to click a link or respond quickly.
Smishing messages often appear to come from a bank, government agency, or well-known business and create a false sense of urgency. The goal is to steal passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive data.
Canadians are advised to delete suspicious messages, avoid clicking links, and never respond—even with “STOP” or “NO.” Suspected smishing texts can be forwarded to 7726 (SPAM) and reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
