Convincing New Scam Targeting Drivers in Mississauga
Published February 12, 2019 at 3:14 am
With tax time looming, Canadians are being warned to beware of convincing–and often frightening–CRA scams, but not everyone realizes that more local scams are also important to avoid.
The City of Mississauga recently warned residents to be vigilant due to an ongoing parking ticket email scam.
According to the city, victims of the scam typically receive a fraudulent email regarding an unpaid parking ticket.
The fraudulent emails claim to originate from the Ministry of Transportation, and actually look quite legitimate.
According to the city, these emails allege that the victim has unpaid City of Mississauga parking citations. At the bottom of the email, it prompts the reader to ‘click here’ to pay outstanding fines.
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The city says that these emails did not originate from the City of Mississauga, and are phishing emails sent from fraudulent email accounts designed to look official.
Phishing scams are particularly insidious because they often appear to be from legitimate companies and organizations. As for how they work, phishing scams prompt users to click on links and share private information (such as their password, bank account or credit card number) with a source they believe to be trustworthy (their bank, utility company or municipality).
To avoid an internet or phishing scam, delete any and all emails that seem like junk or spam (replying to “unsubscribe” only confirms that your email address is real).
Residents should note that legitimate institutions will never ask for sensitive information via text or email. Anyone who is asked to pay a bill or fine via text or email should immediately confirm the charge with the company or organization purporting to ask for the money.
If you have received an email like this, report it to the Canadian anti-fraud centre.
If you believe you are a victim of a scam, you can also contact local police to report the matter.
If you have received an actual parking ticket on your vehicle, click here for information on what to do.
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