Calgary
By Phoenix Phillips
Posted May 7, 2026 4:21 pm.
A wave of text messages have been showing up on local phones this week, leaving some Calgarians feeling uneasy.
Police and city officials confirmed this week that fraudulent texts referencing the City of Calgary have been circulating, prompting warnings to residents.
Ward 11 Coun. Rob Ward shared an example of the scam online. The screenshot of the text message reading that “a failure to furnish payment by the designated date will precipitate further administrative enforcement actions in strict accordance with the City of Calgary’s municipal directives.”
Ward noted that the text is a clear case of smishing, SMS phishing, designed to steal personal information or money.
Did you receive a text message like this today? Please ignore it, this is an example of “smishing” (SMS phishing) and the sender is trying to steal personal information or money. Please share this to help ensure your friends, family, and neighbours do not get scammed. If you are… pic.twitter.com/gGYxgEnrRl
Cybersecurity expert Kathy Macdonald says the tactic is textbook emotional manipulation. She says smishing messages are crafted to provoke curiosity, fear, or a sense of urgency, pushing recipients to act before thinking.
“They upset us and they get us distracted and in a state of chaos,” Macdonald said. “We want to resolve it, so we click on something.”
The City of Calgary emphasized that it does not use text messages for ticket notifications or payment requests. Any such message should be treated as fraudulent, according to officials.
Over just two days, the city received more than 3,000 inquiries to 311 about suspicious parking‑related texts.
Macdonald advises anyone who has fallen victim to report the incident to police, obtain a case number, and notify their bank so the fraud is documented.
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