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Ontario Provincial Police are warning residents to be cautious of text-based fraud scams, known as “smishing,” which are being used to steal personal and banking information.
Smishing-combining “SMS” and phishing – relies on deceptive text messages that appear to come from banks, government agencies, or online retailers. Clicking on malicious links in these messages can lead to financial fraud, identity theft, or malware infections.
According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, nearly 9,500 cases of identity fraud and more than 3,900 reports of stolen personal information were recorded in 2024.
Authorities are urging Ontarians to take precautions to avoid falling victim to smishing scams. Residents are advised to delete suspicious messages, avoid clicking unknown links, and report fraudulent texts by forwarding them to 7726 (SPAM). Additional security measures include updating smartphone software, enabling multi-factor authentication, and verifying messages through official websites or phone numbers.
The OPP encourages victims of fraud to contact local police and report incidents to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or through the online Fraud Reporting System.
More fraud prevention resources can be found at opp.ca and sfo.opp.ca.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)
