Overview

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is aware of a recent text message scam targeting drivers within the province. This text message instructs the recipient to pay a large sum of money by the end of the week to avoid having their licence suspended.

Smishing is a form of cyber-attack where criminals use text messages and a sense of urgency or fear to deceive recipients into actions that may lead to data breaches, malware infections, and financial losses.

Safety Tips

• Think before you click: Avoid clicking links in text messages from untrusted or unusual sources. The DGSNL Motor Registration Division does not communicate personal information through text messages.
• Beware of being pressured: Attackers often create a sense of urgency to pressure for immediate action. Always take the time to think and assess the request carefully and logically.
• Report, block and delete suspicious messages: If you receive a smishing message, report it to the impersonated source, your cellular provider (by forwarding the text message to 7726), and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. Then, block the sender, and delete the message. If you have fallen victim to the attack, also report it to the local police.
• Boost your spam filtering defenses: Make sure that your messaging apps have strong, up-to-date filters to catch suspicious texts.
• Boost your scam awareness: Take cyber security awareness training regularly to help recognize messaging scams. Verify unusual or urgent requests.