“Smishing” scams are on the rise—don’t take the bait
The Competition Bureau of Canada is warning Canadians about a growing number of text message scams known as “smishing.” These fake texts often pretend to be from legitimate sources—like trusted businesses, government agencies—claiming urgent action is needed, such as paying a fee or verifying suspicious activity.
The goal is to trick you into clicking a link to steal your personal data or money.
To protect yourself:
- Don’t click on unexpected links.
- Verify the sender by contacting them through another medium, like the phone number on the official website
- Ignore texts even if they ask to reply with "STOP" or "NO"
- Forward suspicious texts to 7726 (SPAM).
- Report scams to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
If a message feels off, it probably is—delete it and stay safe.
Source: Ding! Scammers are hiding in your text messages - Canada.ca