{"id":7809,"date":"2026-10-06T21:53:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T21:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/icbc-serviceontario-text-scam\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T21:53:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T21:53:11","slug":"icbc-serviceontario-text-scam","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/ca\/icbc-serviceontario-text-scam\/","title":{"rendered":"Fake ICBC and ServiceOntario texts about tickets and licences: how they work"},"content":{"rendered":"<nav class=\"crumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\"><a href=\"\/ca\/\">Home<\/a> \u203a <a href=\"\/ca\/scam-guides-canada\/\">All Canadian guides<\/a> \u203a ICBC and ServiceOntario text scams<\/nav>\n<p><span class=\"kicker\">Scam warning<\/span><\/p>\n<h1>Fake ICBC and ServiceOntario texts about tickets and licences: how they work<\/h1>\n<div class=\"answer\"><strong>Short answer:<\/strong> Fake texts claiming to be from ICBC or ServiceOntario demand payment of an unpaid ticket and threaten licence suspension. ICBC says it does not contact customers by text about driving infractions or debt. If you clicked a link or paid, contact your bank, local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.<\/div>\n<p class=\"meta\">Last reviewed: <time datetime=\"2026-10-05\">2026-10-05<\/time> \u00b7 By <a href=\"\/ca\/author\/\">Mark Dent<\/a><\/p>\n<nav class=\"toc\" aria-label=\"On this page\"><strong>On this page<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#s1\">The pattern, from three police and agency notices<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s2\">What the agencies say they do<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s3\">If you clicked or paid<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#s4\">Two-minute checklist<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<div class=\"keyfacts\"><strong>Key facts from the warnings we opened<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>ICBC (3 September 2025): the texts \u201care not from ICBC\u201d; ICBC does not contact customers by text about driving infractions or outstanding debt, and does not ask customers to confirm identity or pay through links in a text.<\/li>\n<li>North Bay Police Service (7 August 2025): texts with fake Service Ontario links demanded payment for alleged photo radar offences and threatened licence suspension, credit score impacts, demerit points and fees.<\/li>\n<li>Quinte West OPP (reported 10 October 2025): a victim paid $120 after a text warned of a driver&#8217;s licence suspension; police said financial institutions often will not reimburse such payments.<\/li>\n<li>Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501, Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4:45 pm Eastern, or online, even if you did not pay.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"s1\">The pattern, from three police and agency notices<\/h2>\n<p>The sources agree on the broad shape, so we state it as a pattern and not as one case.<\/p>\n<ol class=\"steps\">\n<li><strong>A text arrives from a number you do not know.<\/strong> It says you owe a ticket, a fine or a fee. In Ontario the story told was an unpaid photo radar or speeding offence; in British Columbia ICBC described payment requests and, in some versions, a refund for a traffic fine.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A threat is attached.<\/strong> The North Bay notice lists driver&#8217;s licence suspension, credit score impacts, demerit points, additional service fees and referral to toll booths. The OPP described a warning of licence suspension if the fine was not paid immediately.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A link goes to a look-alike page.<\/strong> The OPP said the link resembled the Service Ontario website. ICBC said it is working with an external cybersecurity company to report and remove the fraudulent sites.<\/li>\n<li><strong>You enter card or bank details.<\/strong> The OPP warned that victims enter banking information such as credit card numbers, which leaves it unprotected and possibly subject to further loss.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Money moves, then the numbers vanish.<\/strong> North Bay police said the messages came from changing phone numbers that originate outside Canada and, when called back, cannot be completed as dialled and are not traceable by police.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 id=\"s2\">What the agencies say they do<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>The text says<\/th>\n<th>What the real agency or police said<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u201cPay your ticket now through this link\u201d<\/td>\n<td>ICBC does not ask customers to confirm identity or make payments via links in a text.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u201cYou owe a photo radar fine\u201d<\/td>\n<td>North Bay police: there is no photo radar enforcement in the city, all speeding tickets are issued in person by trained radar and lidar operators, and the city does not issue traffic-related fines by text.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u201cYour licence will be suspended today\u201d<\/td>\n<td>ICBC says it does not contact customers by text about driving infractions or outstanding debt.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u201cCall this number\u201d<\/td>\n<td>ICBC advises not replying to unknown senders or calling phone numbers from suspicious text messages.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>One caution. The North Bay facts about photo radar apply to that city and the date of the notice. They show that the text was false in that case; they do not prove a general rule for every municipality. The safe rule is the one the agencies give: do not pay a ticket through a link in a text. Look up the real status by typing the agency or court address yourself.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"s3\">If you clicked or paid<\/h2>\n<ol class=\"steps\">\n<li><strong>Call your bank or card issuer at once<\/strong> using the number on the card, and ask for the card to be blocked and the transaction reviewed.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Change passwords<\/strong> you may have typed into the page.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Report to local police.<\/strong> ICBC encourages customers affected by the scam to contact police, and the CAFC says to contact local police as soon as possible.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Report to the CAFC<\/strong> online or on 1-888-495-8501. You can report even if you did not fall victim.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Delete the text and block the sender.<\/strong> Keep a screenshot of the message and the link first if you are reporting.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The full sequence is on <a href=\"\/ca\/i-was-scammed-canada\/\">what to do if you paid a scammer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"s4\">Two-minute checklist<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"check\">\n<li>Is the sender a number you did not give the agency?<\/li>\n<li>Does it threaten suspension, demerit points or fees within hours?<\/li>\n<li>Does it ask for payment or identity confirmation through a link?<\/li>\n<li>Does the web address differ from the one you type for ICBC, ServiceOntario or your province&#8217;s court?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Any yes means stop. This scam is about your payment details, not about a document; a different scam, covered on <a href=\"\/ca\/buy-a-drivers-licence-canada\/\">buying a driver&#8217;s licence<\/a>, is about the document itself. If the text is about a licence in another province, find that agency on <a href=\"\/ca\/drivers-licence-by-province\/\">our province list<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<details>\n<summary>Does ICBC send text messages about tickets?<\/summary>\n<p>No. ICBC said on 3 September 2025 that it does not contact customers by text about driving infractions or outstanding debt, and does not ask customers to confirm identity or make payments through links in a text.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Is the ServiceOntario text about an unpaid ticket real?<\/summary>\n<p>North Bay police and the OPP warned in 2025 that texts with fake Service Ontario links demanding payment were fraudulent. Do not click; type the address yourself if you need to check something.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What should I do if I clicked the link?<\/summary>\n<p>Contact your bank or card issuer immediately, change any passwords you entered, report to local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and keep a screenshot of the message.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Can I get my money back after a text scam?<\/summary>\n<p>The OPP said financial institutions often will not reimburse such payments, so speed matters. Call your bank first; we cannot promise a refund.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Where do I report a scam text in Canada?<\/summary>\n<p>To the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or on 1-888-495-8501, and to your local police. The CAFC says you can report even if you did not fall victim.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<div class=\"related\">\n<h2>Keep reading<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"\/ca\/report-fraud-canada\/\">Where to report fraud in Canada<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/ca\/i-was-scammed-canada\/\">I paid a scammer: what to do now<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/ca\/scam-red-flags\/\">Scam red flags: a checklist<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/ca\/drivers-licence-by-province\/\">Driver&#x27;s licence by province and territory<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sources\">\n<h2>Sources and official links<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/icbc.com\/about-icbc\/newsroom\/2025-09-03-scam\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">ICBC: warning customers about text message scam (3 September 2025)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.northbaypolice.ca\/news-releases\/community-alert-fraudulent-service-ontario-text-scam\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">North Bay Police Service: fraudulent Service Ontario text scam (7 August 2025)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kawartha411.ca\/2025\/10\/10\/opp-warning-about-scam-outstanding-driving-related-charges-text-messages\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Kawartha 411: OPP warning about scam outstanding driving-related charges text messages (10 October 2025)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca\/report-signalez-eng.htm\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: how to report fraud<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author\"><strong>About the author<\/strong><br \/>Written by <a href=\"\/ca\/author\/\">Mark Dent<\/a> from the Criminal Code of Canada, provincial and federal government pages, regulator notices and court reporting. We do not sell, issue or arrange any licence, certificate or other document, and we are not a government body. Read the <a href=\"\/ca\/editorial-policy\/\">editorial policy<\/a>, or <a href=\"\/ca\/contact\/\">report a mistake<\/a>.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home \u203a All Canadian guides \u203a ICBC and ServiceOntario text scams Scam warning Fake ICBC and ServiceOntario texts about tickets and licences: how they work Short answer: Fake texts claiming to be from ICBC or ServiceOntario demand payment of an unpaid ticket and threaten licence suspension. ICBC says it does not contact customers by text [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"truthdocuments-guide","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7809","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_hostinger_reach_plugin_has_subscription_block":false,"_hostinger_reach_plugin_is_elementor":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7809\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/truthdocuments.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}