The Kimberley RCMP has shared information regarding a scam involving the B.C. government’s PayBC website, in an effort to protect the public against sharing personal and credit card information.
An alert on the PayBC site reads as follows:
“We have become aware of phishing attempt against PayBC users. An identical fake website has been created by malicious actors to potentially steal personal and/or credit card information. Please be vigilant against phishing attempts. Never share information without verifying the legitimacy of the website. Do not click on unfamiliar links received via text or email that ask for your personal or credit card information.”
According to the Kimberley RCMP detachment, the Ministry of Finance provided an example of the scam texted to a person’s cellphone that read: “our automated speeding system has caught your vehicle doing 46 kilometers per hour in a 30 kilometers per hour zone.”
The scam text then provided a link to the bogus PayBC website, advising the ticket can be payed there without a court.
A Ministry spokesman said the province has never utilized an “automated speeding system.” Furthermore, neither the province nor the Insurance Corporation of B.C. would ever send text messages to people regarding traffic violation tickets or payment requests.
The government reminds people to be vigilant against these types of phishing attempts and ensure you are only using this link when making a payment through PayBC: https://pay.gov.bc.ca/