If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.
That adage is right on the money when it comes to a texting scam that ICBC warned customers about on Friday.
https://twitter.com/icbc/status/913818461025062913
A number of ICBC customers reported having received texts purporting to offer refunds for red light tickets or traffic fines, along with links so they can accept the money, the insurance provider said on Friday.
When customers clicked the links, they were sent to websites that asked for their personal banking information.
WATCH: Text fraud on the rise in Canada
The practice is known as SMS phishing, or “SMiShing,” according to ICBC.
It’s a scam that can trick people into downloading dangerous software on to their devices or even sending information on to an attacker.
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The insurance provider said it does not communicate sensitive information using channels like social media or text messages.
It also doesn’t issue refunds through text messages or Interac e-transfers.
Anyone who received them has been urged to delete the texts and not to click on the links.
READ MORE: Text message fraud cost Canadians half a million dollars so far in 2016
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) has estimated that text message fraud cost Canadians half a million dollars last year.
The number of victims was seen to be on the rise, too.
The centre found that 767 Canadians had fallen victim to fraud last year, up from 211 in 2014.
But that’s just reported fraud cases.
The centre has estimated that it only hears about five per cent of the ones that actually happen.
- With files from Leslie Young
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