Montreal-area residents warned texts demanding Highway 25 toll payments are fraudulent

Residents in the Montreal and Laval regions are being warned about fraudulent text messages appearing to come from Concession A25, the company that manages the Olivier-Charbonneau bridge.

Concession A25 is a private partner of Quebec's Transport Ministry. It designed, built and now manages the Highway 25 bridge between Laval and Montreal, operating an electronic toll system that bills motorists for using the bridge and section of highway.

The texts allege an outstanding amount is owed and set a deadline for payment, threatening penalties for non-compliance. Accompanying the message is a hyperlink to settle the purported invoice, all presented in flawless French.

These texts, which started appearing about three weeks ago, are most certainly a scam and people should not engage with the message, authorities say.

On its website, the company says people should not click on any texted links that claim they owe money to Concession A25.

The deceptive technique is known as phishing, as clicking on the provided link may unknowingly transmit personal information, including banking details, Concession A25 cautions on its website.

"As soon as we became aware of the situation, we contacted the police," stated a spokesperson for the company in an email. 

Concession A25 advises recipients to report unwanted text messages to the number 7726, which enables mobile operators to investigate the message's content.