What are the red flags of this scam?

You received an unsolicited text about a class-action settlement — real settlement administrators mail cheques or use a claims portal you sign up for; they do not cold-text you • The site asks for your credit or debit card number to 'receive' a payment — real settlement payments are made TO you, not through your card • The payout amount in the text does not match the legitimate settlement figure (e.g. texts claim $145–$193 while the real Canada Bread maximum was $49.11) • The website looks like a Government of Canada page but the domain is not canada.ca or a known settlement administrator's domain • The official settlement website or news coverage says its claims process has not opened, or that no text messages are being sent

What should I do if this happened to me?

Do not click links in unsolicited texts about settlements — go to canada.ca or search the official case name to find the legitimate claims portal • Real settlement administrators never ask for your credit or debit card number; they send cheques or request a bank account number only for direct deposit at your request • If you entered your card details, contact your bank immediately to flag the card and request a replacement • Report phishing texts to the CAFC Spam Reporting Centre at spam@fightspam.gc.ca or forward to 7726 (SPAM) • Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.

HIGH phishing Last reported: Sep 20, 2026 Share

A text says you qualify for a settlement payout — the fake website steals your card and personal information

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. An unsolicited text claims you qualify for a payout from a class-action settlement (milk, bread, or another product). A link leads to a fake Government of Canada site that asks for your name, address, date of birth, and credit or debit card number — none of which a real settlement administrator needs to pay you.

An unsolicited text claims you qualify for a payout from a class-action settlement (milk, bread, or another product). A link leads to a fake Government of Canada site that asks for your name, address, date of birth, and credit or debit card number — none of which a real settlement administrator needs to pay you.

Also known as: fake class action settlement text Canada, milk settlement scam text, Canada Bread settlement phishing text, fake lawsuit payout SMS Canada, settlement claim text message fraud Canada

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.

What to do right now

1 Do not click links in unsolicited texts about settlements — go to canada.ca or search the official case name to find the legitimate claims portal
2 Real settlement administrators never ask for your credit or debit card number; they send cheques or request a bank account number only for direct deposit at your request
3 If you entered your card details, contact your bank immediately to flag the card and request a replacement
4 Report phishing texts to the CAFC Spam Reporting Centre at [email protected] or forward to 7726 (SPAM)
5 Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca or call 1-888-495-8501.

Red flags

⚠ You received an unsolicited text about a class-action settlement — real settlement administrators mail cheques or use a claims portal you sign up for; they do not cold-text you
⚠ The site asks for your credit or debit card number to 'receive' a payment — real settlement payments are made TO you, not through your card
⚠ The payout amount in the text does not match the legitimate settlement figure (e.g. texts claim $145–$193 while the real Canada Bread maximum was $49.11)
⚠ The website looks like a Government of Canada page but the domain is not canada.ca or a known settlement administrator's domain
⚠ The official settlement website or news coverage says its claims process has not opened, or that no text messages are being sent

Known variants

'Canada Bread' variant: a phishing text references the real Canada Bread price-fixing class action, inflates the payout ($145-$193 versus the legitimate maximum $49.11), and uses the same fake portal to harvest card details.

Last seen: 9/17/2026

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Known variants

Sources