New scam text targeting Costco members in Mississauga and Brampton

Residents in Mississauga and Brampton are warned of a new text message phishing scam hitting cellphones in the area.

The newest phishing scam is impersonating Costco Wholesale, asking the recipient to verify their annual transaction. The customer is prompted to respond with “Y” to view their annual transaction.

Costco Wholesale says on their website that customers receiving documents from the company will usually see a physical copy mailed to their residential address, not texted.

The wholesale company mentions two previous, unrelated text message scams on their website, and in both instances, members were supposed to receive their reward through the mail.

“The Capital One Costco Mastercard Cash Back reward will be mailed by Capital One to eligible cardholders mid-January 2022.”

“The 2% Executive Reward is mailed to our members.”

Costco lists the following suggestions on their website for how to deal with scam messages:

• Never respond to emails that cannot be verified.
• Never provide personal information via email or by text.
• Contact the business by using legitimate phone numbers to verify the request.
• Enter websites using your browser and not by clicking on provided links.
• Be cautious of any solicitation requesting that you deposit a check or pay a fee to collect a prize.

Visit Costco Wholesale’s website here to learn more.