‘Dad, I got a new phone number’ scam making its rounds in Ontario

A new day brings a new scam affecting residents in not only Mississauga and Brampton but all of Ontario.

This time, fraudsters are targeting parents, tricking them into thinking their child has changed their phone number and needs to reconnect with them.

Similar to the ‘Mom Help’ and ‘Dropped my phone in toilet‘ scams from 2023, this latest scheme begins the same way with a message.

The text message reads: Hi, Dad. I’ve got a new phone number. Save it and message me on Whatsapp please.

A message like this could cause parents to panic, feel confused, and become curious enough to make a hasty decision and contact the new number.

However, an alternative idea would be to remain calm and look for signs that you might be a victim to a scam.

In this case, the new number provided by the “child” in the text has a 437 area code, which belongs to the Toronto, Ontario region, making the scam seem more convincing.

In the past, Peel Regional Police have advised people not to reply to these messages and to delete them, as any response could alert scammers that your number is active, prompting further spam messages. Police also recommended blocking the number to avoid future contact.

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, which tracks major scams and frauds throughout the country, is urging residents to never share personal or financial information with unverified people or groups. This includes unknown numbers claiming to be family members.