Mississauga, Brampton Residents Targeted by Parking Ticket Scam

Mississauga and Brampton residents are being targeted by a parking ticket scam. The phishing scam asks for personal information from an unsuspecting person under the disguise of unpaid parking tickets. The Canadian Anti-fraud Centre warned about such a scam back in October and asked people not to take any action.

The parking ticket scam aims to scare people with the notice of unpaid parking tickets. It has been targeting residents of Mississauga and Brampton through an SMS message. The message states that your last parking ticket is unpaid and needs to be taken care of before a certain date or it will lead to punishment. It also comes with a link which leads to a fraudulent website that asks for personal information or could download malicious software on the user’s phone.

Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre alerted the public about this kind of scam back in October and said that parking infractions will never be sent via test message. It added that clicking on the links in these messages could put people at risk of identity fraud. Scammers will try to make the message seem like it is coming from an official source and create an urgent situation that often results in punishment or fines.

Alert! The CAFC is receiving reports on parking infraction phishing text messages. Parking infractions will never be sent via text message. Clicking on the link may put you at risk for identity fraud. For more on phishing: https://t.co/TZT4cEozUG #CyberMonth2022 pic.twitter.com/jaA2oLV8qK

— Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (@canantifraud) October 13, 2022

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre suggests:

1. Don’t click on links from unsolicited messages

2. Don’t download attachments from unsolicited messages

3. Watch for spelling mistakes

4. Don’t trust a message just because the email address looks legitimate; fraudsters can spoof the address

5. Beware of messages claiming to be from the Government of Canada or a law enforcement agency; they will never contact you to offer funds via email or e-transfer

A similar scam was circulating during the fall season, showing up as text messages.

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