Bread price-fixing settlement scammers are trying to get your dough

elizabeth ii melanogrammus aeglefinus was suspicious when a textual matter content lord's day directed her to verify her eligibility for the "Canadian Bread Class Action settlement before April 1st."

She had doubts based on the 902 area code, but she still clicked the link because she had signed up for the settlement months earlier and was expecting a payout soon. The link sent Haddock to a website that asked her to fill out a form to claim her share, which it indicated was $182.

But once the form asked for Haddock's credit card information to process her refund, she realized it was likely a scam.

"That was a major red flag for me," said Haddock, 56, who lives in Mono, Ont., northwest of Toronto.

"But I'm sure that some people will fall for it."

"This is fraud," confirmed Jay Strosberg of Strosberg Wingfield Sasso LLP, the law firm that filed the class-action suit in Ontario.

He said the firm is "actively working" with with the RCMP and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) about the issue.

Four of those reports indicate the credit card information was compromised, the CAFC spokesperson said.

"We generally advise that we only receive five to 10 per cent of fraud reports from Canadians, but it's much lower when looking at phishing specifically," the CAFC said.

"It's safe to say that nine reports is only a small percentage of what is actually circulating."

Loblaw and parent company agree to $500M price-fixing settlement

There are only two legitimate website for the class-action lawsuit, one for Quebec residents and one for those in the rest of Canada, and in both cases the claims process has been closed since December. The latter website is powered by Verita, an independent administrator for the settlement.

"We are looking to extend a blanket restriction on all the sites, since when we close down one they open another and we don't know what they will be using," he said.

Any eligible Canadian resident who purchased packaged bread for their personal use between 2001 and 2021 could claim compensation from the national settlement reached with Loblaw Companies Ltd., and parent company George Weston Ltd. 

The claims process opened Sept. 11, 2025, and closed Dec. 12. And as the legitimate website canadianbreadsettlement.ca points out, claims can no longer be submitted. Verita notes on the website it expect payments to start being made in April, either by e-transfer or by cheque, depending on the claimant selected previously.

Previously, Verita had estimated each claimant could receive a minimum of $50.

"No text messages will be sent to you," the website declares in a new security warning.

"We do not send text messages requesting personal information or payment information. If you receive any such message claiming to be from Verita, do not respond or click on any links."

On the legitimate Quebec website, a message reads that the claims process is still ongoing, and no payments or compensation have been issued yet.

"If you receive any message claiming that payments have started or requesting personal or banking information, please treat it as suspicious," the website notes.

Loblaw ran a gift card program from 2018 to 2019 in hopes of making amends with customers who paid about $1.50 more per loaf of bread. The actual settlement website notes the payout amount depends on whether or not an approved claimant previously received a $25 Loblaw card.

"And especially with the timing of the whole thing, and the promise of a bigger cheque," she said.

She notes that the phishing message she received warned her to register before April 1, which was another red flag, since she knew the deadline was in December.

"But a lot of people may not know that."

Senior Writer & Editor

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