Service Ontario scam text making the rounds in Mississauga and the rest of the GTA
Published December 28, 2022 at 6:12 pm
While the GTA is still wrapping up the season of giving, residents should be aware Service Ontario is not the gift-giving kind as a new scam text makes the rounds.
The text claims to be from Service Ontario and says there was an error in the recipient’s last annual licence payment. The text then asks for a “Y” response to accept the fictitious refund.
In fact there are no annual licence fees in Ontario any longer. In the run-up the provincial election, the Provincial Government under Premier Doug Ford removed licence plate sticker fees in March. The move saved Ontario drivers between $60 and $120 a year, but cost Ontario itself $1 billion in annual revenue.
However, drivers license still need to be renewed every five years for a $90 fee.
Texts falsely claiming refunds from government and banks are fairly routine. They’re called Smishing scams, a combination of SMS and phishing.
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Experts such as TD Bank warn anyone who receives such messages to ignore them and block the number. Any reply can signal to the scammers the phone number is still active.
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