Tech-savvy fraudsters target B.C. with fake texts, phony government website

The province and a number of police services in British Columbia are warning people to beware of a new text scam that directs potential victims to an exact replica of a government website where people can pay fees with credit cards.

The scheme starts with a text message informing the intended target they’ve been caught committing a traffic violation.

“Our automated speeding system has caught your vehicle doing 46 km/h in a 30km/h zone,” one such text says before directing people to click a link to pay a fine.

According to the province, the link directs people to a website that is an exact replica of the PayBC website, a legitimate government page where people can pay various provincial fees.

The fraudulent page looks identical to the real page and that’s where scammers can steal credit card details from unsuspecting victims.

There are red light cameras throughout B.C. and some of them are calibrated to catch people speeding as well – but the violation tickets are delivered in the mail.

"It's important to know that ICBC does not send text messages to customers about traffic violation tickets or payment requests,” said ICBC spokesperson Lauren Champagne. "Definitely ignore any sort of text message like that. It's not coming from ICBC. It would be fraudulent. Don't click on any links."

RCMP detachments in both Nanaimo and Salmon Arm say they have received dozens of reports about the attempted scam in recent days.

It’s just the latest example of creative criminals coming up with new ways to separate people from their money.

The Canadian Anti-fraud Centre says it processed more than 62,000 reports last year and that victims lost a combined $554 million in 2023.

Those are just the incidents that get reported.

Many scammers specifically target vulnerable seniors who may be less tech-savvy than people in younger generations.

Coast Capital Savings vice-president of cyber security Stephen Pedersen says it is incumbent upon people to help their friends, neighbours and loved ones figure out how to recognize online scams.

"We've all received a text message or a fraudulent email. Take advantage of that,” Pedersen said. “Show them what it looks like so that your parents, grandparents, your children, can be accustomed to something that might look like something legitimate but is fraudulent."

Anyone who receives a suspicious text message can report it to the federal government to help it track attempted frauds and scams.