A new scam targeting Canadians involves a phishing scheme related to the country’s bread price-fixing settlement, following a similar pattern to a recent scam involving dairy products. Individuals like David Coates from Sherwood Park, Alta., have reported receiving deceptive texts about a milk class-action settlement, prompting victims to provide personal and financial information in exchange for a rebate that doesn’t exist.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has received reports of phishing texts since March 25, claiming recipients are entitled to compensation from a fictitious Canadian milk class action. While the bread scam had a concrete basis, the purported milk settlement appears to be a fabrication, with the closest resemblance being a recent $6.5-million resolution for consumers affected by a plant-based milk recall due to listeria contamination.
Warnings have been issued by the official website handling the plant-based milk settlement against providing personal or banking details via SMS messages. Joey Zukran, a lawyer representing class members in the plant-based milk case, emphasizes that legitimate settlements do not require credit card information. The fraudulent texts, originating from a 902 area code, lead to a blocked website flagged as deceptive by Google.
Moran Solomon from Concilia advises that genuine messages from brands typically use short codes, not full phone numbers, to communicate with consumers. Individuals are urged to be cautious and report any suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities if they fall victim to such scams. It is crucial to remain vigilant and protect personal information from fraudulent schemes in a digital age where scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated and convincing.