Police warning people of fake speeding ticket scams sent by text

Edmonton police are warning of a text scam demanding payment for a ticket that doesn’t exist. CTV News Edmonton’s Marek Tkach has the story.

While traffic tickets usually come in the mail, one new text scam is targeting people by sending fake tickets through texts.

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“There’s a couple people in the office actually here that have received that same or a similar message with regards to a traffic violation,” said Det. Scott Abbott with Edmonton Police Service (EPS).

The messages demand a payment for a speeding ticket that doesn’t exist. Some show a made-up speed and read, “If this notice is not addressed promptly, additional fines or enforcement actions may apply.”

Abbott says the provincial government, EPS and the city do not send tickets through texts in regards to fines.

While it’s not one of the most popular scams, police say it’s something to be aware of and is a type of smishing scam.

Smishing is a term that means phishing for victims through SMS text messaging.

Last year there was $48.1 million lost to scams in Edmonton and $645 million country wide, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said. With AI technology on the rise, police say fraud will be on the rise too.

“AI is doubling its capacity every three months and that’s kind of a scary thing, because that means it’s going to get used more and more in scams that people are going to get across their phones,” Abbott said.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre says it’s aware of the fairly new traffic ticket scam and it’s happening in not just Alberta.

“We’ve seen it in a few different provinces across the country. We know that fraudsters are constantly evolving,” said Jeff Horncastle, a client and communications outreach office with the centre.

“They follow headlines and they copy the look and tone of real agencies. They use that sense of authority because they know that there’s more of a chance that Canadians are going to react.”

The best way you can protect yourself from this type of fraud is by never clicking on any link for an unrecognized number.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Marek Tkach