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Residents are being urged to delete fraudulent text messages claiming to come from Saskatchewan Courts after the Moose Jaw Police Service received multiple reports of the scam.
Moose Jaw Police Service public information and strategic communications manager Zach Bachmann said police were alerted by community members and courthouse staff after people began receiving messages claiming to be from Saskatchewan Provincial Court or Saskatchewan Traffic Court.
The texts are designed to create a sense of urgency, often using phrases such as “final notice” or “final hearing” to pressure recipients into acting quickly.
“They’re meant to look official,” Bachmann said. “They’ll have an officer’s name and badge ID, a court clerk and a reference number, but we don’t have any reason to believe that any of these are based in fact.”
Bachmann said the names and badge numbers used in the messages do not belong to Moose Jaw Police Service officers.
The scam includes a link directing recipients to “resolve” their case online. Bachmann said the link leads users to a fraudulent website designed to imitate an official government site.
“Their end game is to continue the scam until you’re at a point where you either give them information or you give them money, or both,” he said.
Police are reminding the community that legitimate government agencies generally do not communicate legal matters through unsolicited text messages or ask people to click links to provide personal information.
Instead, official agencies direct people to secure, established channels for handling court matters and other government business.
Anyone who receives one of the messages is encouraged to delete it, avoid clicking any links and use their phone’s built-in scam or phishing reporting feature, if available.
Those who have already shared personal information or sent money should contact police.
Bachmann said the scam is not limited to Moose Jaw, with Regina and Weyburn also issuing public advisories.
“It appears they’re targeting folks across Saskatchewan,” he said.