Ontario Investigates What's Up With Its COVID-19 Vax Portal After Reports Of Scam Texts
The government is "aggressively" investigating these reports.
To anyone who has recently scheduled an appointment through Ontario's COVID-19 vaccine portal, beware of any weird texts that might pop up on your phone.
Ontario is currently investigating after some Ontarians reported that they got a scam text sent to their phone after booking through the vaccine portal.
"The government has received reports of spam text messages from a number of individuals who have scheduled appointments or accessed vaccine certificates through the COVID-19 immunization system," a spokesperson for the solicitor general told Narcity via email.
"Ontarians should be aware these texts are financial in nature and that the government will never conduct a financial transaction through these methods."
The Ontario government is "aggressively investigating" these reports with the help of other ministries as well as the Ontario Provincial Police.
The OPP told Narcity that they are "currently investigating reports of spam text messages from individuals who have utilized the COVID-19 booking system for appointments or to access vaccine certificates." The investigation is still ongoing.
A couple of Ontarians told CityNews that they had just recently received texts saying that they had gotten an e-transfer of money sent to their bank account, with their name spelled exactly the same way as they have it on their personal health records.
The news of this scam follows the announcement that Ontario will be opening up its COVID-19 vaccine bookings for children aged 5 to 11 on November 23.
Starting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, parents and caregivers will be able to schedule appointments for children in this age group either through select pharmacies or primary care providers, their local public health unit's booking system or Ontario's COVID-19 vaccine portal.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.