It looks like a new scam involving parking tickets has found its way into Renfrew and the surrounding area.
Local police are reportedly tracking a type of scam they call “smishing,” where the scammer tries to take money and personal information from people by taking over a phone number to impersonate someone else.
In this case, the fraudsters are impersonating town staff, stating that the victim has unpaid parking tickets that need to be cleared.
Renfrew is not the first community in the Valley to deal with this type of scam; the Town of Arnprior has been warning residents about a similar incident involving fraudulent calls to collect on unpaid parking tickets since last week.
Town Hall or by-law enforcement will never text or call you for payments on unpaid parking tickets, and any follow-up is done through mail only.
If you’re unsure about an outstanding parking ticket or a text you’ve received about one, you should get in touch with local by-law enforcement.
(written by Kasey Egan)
