Calgary police are warning the public about fraudulent text messages claiming recipients must pay outstanding parking or photo radar tickets.
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The Calgary Police Service said the messages are scams and should not be treated as legitimate payment notices.
Police said CPS, the City of Calgary and the Calgary Parking Authority do not send text messages requesting payment for fines.
Parking and photo radar tickets are mailed to the registered vehicle owner, including notices involving overdue fines, police said.
Calgary Parking has also posted a warning on its website, saying it has been informed of text messages claiming to be from Calgary Parking and requesting payments for unpaid tickets.
“Please be advised that Calgary Parking and The City of Calgary do not use text messages for ticket notifications or payment requests,” Calgary Parking stated.
The Government of Alberta’s Fines Enforcement Program also says it does not send texts about fines or fines enforcement.
“We do not send texts about fines or fines enforcement,” the province states on its website.
The program says official emails from fines enforcement are sent only from tbf.fines-enforcement@gov.ab.ca.
“If you receive text messages or emails regarding fines that are not from the above email address, do not open it or reply to it or click on any links,” the province states.
Police are advising anyone who receives one of the texts not to click the link, not to provide personal or payment information, and to delete the message without engaging.
Anyone who has received a text message and lost money as a result is asked to call or visit their nearest Calgary police district office to report it in person.
Those who received a scam text but did not lose money are asked to report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Similar parking-ticket text scams have circulated in Alberta before.
In October 2024, DiscoverAirdrie reported on scam texts claiming to be from the “Ministry of Transportation of Canada” or “The Alert Canada Ticket Department,” telling recipients they had unpaid parking tickets.
Calgary Parking advises anyone who is unsure about suspicious parking-related emails or text messages to stop, verify and report.
Its website says parking tickets can be verified online through Calgary Parking’s official ticket portal.
Calgary Parking says people who believe they have provided financial or personal information should contact their bank or credit card company, file a complaint with Calgary police, report the phishing to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and change their passwords.
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