Northern police say texts demanding payment of speed camera fines are fake

Anyone who got a text message recently about a speed camera or similar offence that they didn’t know about beware: it’s likely a scam.

Ontario Provincial Police in northern Ontario, as well as the North Bay Police Service, issued warnings Thursday about fraudulent texts claiming to be from Service Ontario demanding immediate payment for a ticket.

Police warn that the texts contain fake links to the Service Ontario website, claiming the person must pay for their photo radar ticket.

The texts also “threaten driver’s licence suspension, credit score impacts, demerit points, additional service fees and referral to toll booths,” police said.

In North Bay in particular, there are no speed or similar cameras. Such tickets are issued in person.

“The City of North Bay does not issue traffic-related fines via text message,” police said.

Don’t click the links

“The fraudulent messages are sent from changing phone numbers that originate outside Canada. When called back, these numbers cannot be completed as dialled and are not traceable by police.”

Ontario Provincial Police said in its alert that it’s important not to click any links provided and to use a checklist to help identify a scam.

Look for: unsolicited text messages demanding urgent payment; threats like demerit point loss or prosecution; suspicious links; and, sense of urgency such as a demand for immediate payment.

Scammers also tend to use incorrect terminology, such as ‘DMV,’ instead of Service Ontario.

Report scams by calling the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501, online or by calling your local police detachment.