Do you sometimes get text messages from unknown numbers?

If so, be careful about how you respond to them.

The Competition Bureau has issued a consumer alert regarding “smishing scams” which are initiated through text messages.

Josephine Palumbo, the Deputy Commissioner with the Deceptive Marketing Practices Directorate of the Bureau, shares here how they work.

“They often impersonate real businesses, government departments or people and, for context, machine messages will often try to get users to click on a link which may contain what’s referred to as malware or lead to spoofed websites.”

Palumbo said fraudsters are using pre-paid SIM cards to shield their identities when targeting victims, making it difficult to pursue investigations.

Learn more about these scams and how you can avoid becoming a victim.  Catch Thompson Today this afternoon at 12:40 and 5:10.