Canadians alarmed by text messages asking their vote preference. Then their postal code. Then their name

Colleen Underwood · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 27, 2025 1:58 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

It's predetermination time, truthful receiving a substance connection from "Mary" oregon "Nancy" asking astir your voting preferences mightiness not look each that unusual.

At slightest that's what Calgarian Stacey Schonek thought erstwhile she heard her telephone ping this week and work a connection from a sender with "ERG National Research" posing that question, on with a database of national enactment choices.

"I was momentarily rather excited [and] thought I get a accidental to accidental what is going connected successful Alberta," said Schonek.

So, she responded.

When a instrumentality substance asked for her postal code, she responded again.

But past she was asked for her name. She says that's erstwhile she realized thing was disconnected and started asking the sender questions with nary response.

"You don't request my name, truthful that to maine was precise suspect," Schonek told CBC News.

She wasn't unsocial successful being suspicious.

The Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC), a polling manufacture association, posted a notice on its website past twelvemonth saying it has received galore complaints astir these text-message tactics from ERG National Research.

The announcement stresses that ERG is not a subordinate of its relation and "should not beryllium confused with Environics Research, a CRIC subordinate successful bully standing."

"We person precise circumstantial rules connected however our members cod information and get survey accusation from individuals and we truly usage that arsenic a mode to effort to separate a morganatic petition from immoderate that whitethorn not beryllium legitimate," said CRIC CEO John Tabone.

Since issuing the notice, Tabone says radical person been reaching retired to CRIC regularly due to the fact that they're disquieted astir what mightiness beryllium done with the accusation they've shared.

"I've gotten concerns from radical saying, 'You know, I'm a elder citizen, conscionable capable this out. I cognize present that I've seen the accusation astir it, I'm truly acrophobic … You know, is determination a hazard to me?'" said Tabone.

Who's down the texts?

Tabone has done his ain probe connected the institution but says what helium has recovered has been limited — and confusing.

According to the CRTC Voter Contact Registry, ERG National Research is listed arsenic a connection work supplier (CSP) for ElectRight, which, successful turn, is listed arsenic a CSP for ERG National Research.

From a firm registry search, Tabone says helium recovered some ERG and ElectRight usage the aforesaid mailing address. 

And portion helium couldn't find a website for ERG, helium did find 1 for ElectRight, with constricted information.

"This institution mightiness beryllium legitimate, but it's truly hard erstwhile determination isn't transparency," said Tabone.

CBC quality has reached retired to ElectRight but has not received a response.

Advice: Don't reply 'STOP'

B.C.-based cybersecurity adept Ian Robertson precocious wrote a blog post about the ERG texts, which helium said is drafting respective 1000 visits per day.

He says he's been tracking who's clicking connected the station and what he's noticed is interesting.

Three weeks ago, Robertson says helium was getting postulation from B.C.

Two weeks ago, it was clicks from Ontario.

And starting past week, the station was getting hits from Alberta.

"We're inactive getting a precocious complaint of hits coming from Alberta," said Robertson. "So we are seeing it moving provincially, and presently Alberta seems to beryllium the hotbed wherever we're seeing the postulation coming from."

Robertson says, presumably, arsenic radical person these texts, they hunt for answers.

His advice: Ignore it, artifact it, and study it arsenic spam.

He says providing immoderate effect astatine all, adjacent replying with "STOP," verifies your telephone fig is simply a existent number.

"As they're pushing [for information], they're filling retired a spreadsheet and [for] immoderate radical they're conscionable going to have, yes, you're a quality and yes, there's idiosyncratic there, " said Robertson.

And helium says adjacent a tiny portion of accusation carries a batch of value. 

He says your postal code, successful immoderate cases, tin constrictive down the artifact oregon flat gathering wherever you live.

"You've accrued the worth by [confirming] this telephone fig is astatine this circumstantial location, truthful immoderate 3rd enactment present has that level of demographic item connected you," said Robertson.

Robertson says it's champion to ever cheque the Elections Canada website for immoderate election-related information.

Tabone says helium believes what ERG Research is doing is wrong, but helium says it's not precisely wide what rules they are violating, truthful helium urges radical to study their concerns, arsenic helium has, to Elections Canada and the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

How to complain, and to whom

CBC quality reached retired to the CRTC and, successful an emailed response, the committee said it "plays a constrictive relation to beforehand and show compliance with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation wrong a civilian regulatory regime, [and] the CRTC investigates complaints that autumn wrong this constrictive mandate."

The CRTC also encourages radical to interaction the Commissioner of Canada Elections and Elections Canada if they are acrophobic astir election-related spam, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre if they judge they are a unfortunate of fraud.

Tabone says it's not wide who is liable for investigating these types of complaints.

He says helium present plans to rise the contented with the privateness commissioner.

But helium hopes if capable radical talk up, these types of practices beryllium investigated.

"I deliberation the much that radical kick and marque this an issue, I deliberation it's going to escalate perchance immoderate changes to regulations," said Tabone.