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Healthcare cards at centre of scam

Better Business Bureau warns of fraudulent texts making their rounds in the region

Jul 10, 2026 | 3:55 PM

The Southern Alberta/East Kootenay office of the Better Business Bureau says it’s getting calls from people over a phishing scam that’s being done through texting.

Regional BBB president Mary O’Sullivan-Andersen says the perpatrators send a message claiming that the person has to update their personal information.

It says their healthcare card is outdated or invalid if it was issued prior to January 2023, which is never the case.

The texts also indicate they’re representing the Government of Canada, which should be a red flag for anyone who is contacted, since healthcare is a provincal responsibility.

The bureau is offering up list of suggestions to make sure you’re not the victim of a scam.

They include:

  • looking for spelling errors and/or bad grammar
  • watching for suspicious links
  • not replying if you think it’s a scam
  • remembering personaliized messages aren’t necessarily trustworthy
  • checking or taking note of the phone number the text came from
  • confirming that a website is legitimate (but don’t click on any links)
  • keeping your anti-virus software up-to-date

More details can be found on the Better Business Bureau’s website: bbb.org.