The British Columbia government is warning people about a scam involving its PayBC website, where an “identical fake website” is collecting personal and credit card information.

The PayBC site gives residents a secure place to pay their bills or for services from the provincial government, but it says it has become aware of phishing attempts against users, Kimberley RCMP reported on social media.

A statement from the government says the two sites can’t be told apart, although the website addresses are different.

It says the site was created by “malicious actors” to steal personal and financial information.

The Ministry of Finance provided an example (pictured) of the scam texted to a person’s cellphone that says, “our automated speeding system has caught your vehicle doing 46 kilometers per hour in a 30 kilometers per hour zone.”

The text then provides the fake website address, saying the person can pay the ticket without a court at that site.

A spokesperson for the ministry said the province has never utilized an “automated speeding system,” and neither the province nor the Insurance Corporation of B.C. sends text messages to people about traffic violation tickets or payment requests, Kimberley RCMP said.

The government said people need to be vigilant against such phishing attempts and to make sure they are in the proper pay.gov.bc.ca website address.

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