Alleged fraudsters arrested in Montreal for 'smishing' scheme
Montreal police say they have arrested two alleged fraudsters who were operating an automated call centre inside a downtown residential condo.
The pair, a man and woman both 24 years old, allegedly sent fraudulent text messages to thousands of people in order to obtain personal information. The technique is known as SMS phishing, or ‘smishing.’
Police seized 50 cell phones, 40 SIM cards, seven laptop computers and several routers. All of the seized material is currently undergoing a complete expertise, after which charges will be laid, police said in a news release Thursday.
The alleged fraudsters targeted customers of large companies by pretending to be them over text messages.
The suspects allegedly succeeded in obtaining numerous pieces of personal information from their victims and then used this information to commit fraudulent transactions totalling over $170,000.
The investigation is ongoing to determine the scope of the crime, police said.
Police are reminding people to be vigilant about fraud schemes and offered the following prevention tips:
- Be vigilant when you do not recognize the phone number in a text message
- Never click on a link received via text message before validating it with your contact
- Do not call back a number that appears on a text message when you do not recognize the number
- Do not respond to a text message asking for financial or personal information
- Ignore any text message that says you have won a prize or contest
- Ignore any text message that asks for a quick response
- If you receive a text message from a company you do business with, contact their customer service department without responding to the text message
To report a phishing text, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (1-888-495-8501). In case of an emergency, call 911.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
NEW 'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.