What is a short code?
A short code is a 5 or 6 digit number businesses use to send text messages in bulk. In Canada, short codes are leased through the Canadian Telecommunications Association (formerly the CWTA) and approved by the mobile carriers before they can be used.
That makes a text from a short code much harder to fake than a call or text from an ordinary 10-digit number. It doesn't prove the debt is yours or that the amount is right.
Is a text from a short code a scam?
If the code is in the table above, the text most likely came from that debt collection agency. Before you pay anything:
- Check the debt against the written notice or letter from the collection agency.
- Don't pay through a link in a text unless you've confirmed it goes to the agency's own website.
- Never send card or banking details by text.
- If you're unsure, call the collection agency's main phone number, not a number in a text message.
A text from a 10-digit number that claims to be a collection agency deserves extra caution. You can look up the number to see if it belongs to a collection agency that we've verified.
Got a text from a code that isn't listed?
We add codes as we confirm them. Tell us the code and the agency name in the text, and we'll check it.