An Esquimalt resident is warning others about a new scam text asking recipients to pay for a speeding ticket.
Melissa Glushka-Lamb posted to Facebook on March 3 that she’d received a text explaining that an automated speeding system had caught her vehicle doing 46 km/h in a 30 km/h zone.
The message told her to settle an infraction of $22.85 before April 2 to avoid a court date and to pay on an imposter B.C. government website.
“It looked exactly identical to the government of B.C.’s pay online website,” said Glushka-Lamb. “They rendered it so perfectly that even if you clicked on the links within their website it would take you to the government’s website.”
Glushka-Lamb is a provincial government worker in the IT sector. She was relieved that she had the background to identify it as a scam. However, she is worried that others may be more susceptible to the scam.
“I’m just scared for others,” she said. You want to make sure you’re paying your tickets and that you don’t have these outstanding tickets? You want to get your name cleared, and so many people would click on this and see it’s only $22 that they’re asking for.
ICBC is aware of the scam and warned residents of the fraud on X.
The insurance provider also told Black Press Media in a statement that they’ve been notified of the text.
“We are aware of a text message scam that has been circulating recently, in which recipients are being notified of a speeding ticket. The message includes an online link and advises the recipient to pay the ticket to avoid a court date.”
A link was also sent by ICBC providing details on how to report spam texts.
If you receive the text message about a traffic violation, please ignore or delete the message, as it is a scam.
— ICBC (@icbc) March 5, 2024
We do not send text messages to customers about traffic violation tickets or payment requests.#ICBC #BritishColumbia pic.twitter.com/LibVZKlK5H
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