Provincial police are urging the public to be wary of potentially deceptive text messages that are likely a scam.
The Ontario Provincial Police said cybercriminals have been ramping up text-based scams to steal personal and banking information.
This type of scam, known as “smishing,” uses text messages to trick recipients into clicking malicious links that can lead to identity theft, financial fraud, or malware being installed on a victim’s device.
The messages often appear to come from financial institutions, courier companies, online retailers or government agencies.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre received nearly 9,500 reports of identity fraud last year, along with more than 3,900 reports of personal information theft.
Anyone who has been the victim of fraud or suspects fraudulent activity is encouraged to contact police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.