Achi news desk-
The government of British Columbia is warning people about a scam involving its PayBC website, where a “fake identical website” collects personal and credit card information.
The PayBC site provides a secure place for residents to pay their bills or for services from the provincial government, but it says it has become aware of phishing attempts against users.
A statement from the government says that it is not possible to tell the two sites apart, even though the addresses of the websites are different.
It says the website was created by “malicious actors” to steal personal and financial information.
The Ministry of Finance provided an example of the scam sent to someone’s mobile phone which says, “our automated speeding system has caught your vehicle doing 46 kilometers per hour in a 30 kilometer per hour zone.”
The text then provides a fake website address, saying the person can pay the ticket without court on that website.
A spokesperson for the ministry says the province has never used an “automated speeding system,” and neither the province nor BC Insurance Corporation sends people text messages about traffic violation tickets or payment requests.
Nanaimo RCMP also sent out a statement on Monday, warning people not to fall for the “speeding ticket text scam” after receiving several calls from people who had received the text messages about speeding in a school zone.
The fake website shares a similar logo and identical fonts to the real PayBC site and once people click the “pay now” button, they will be asked to provide credit card information and their name and home address , said Const. Gary O’Brien, media relations officer at the detachment.
“Another scam is to access your money through your credit card. Just delete it but then make sure you share the text message with friends and family so they don’t fall for it,” he said in a statement.
The government said people need to be wary of such phishing attempts and ensure they are at the correct pay.gov.bc.ca website address.
They say those who pay on a website should never pay or offer personal information unless they have verified the website’s legitimacy.
O’Brien said “dozens of individuals” in the Okanagan also received the same text, prompting Kelowna RCMP to issue a statement.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on March 25, 2024.
