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Received an Automated Call with the Display ‘TellCityHall’? It’s not from the City of Burlington

TellCityHall Automated Call Burlington
Photo by Taylor Grote on Unsplash.

If you’ve received an automated phone call recently where the call display read “Tell City Hall” and it was regarding a survey on the carbon tax, it didn’t come from Burlington City Hall.

My office was alerted to this earlier this month and my team investigated things further.

TellCityHall is a market research company based out of Edmonton, Alta., that does surveys for the private and public sector. The company has a few surveys it is putting out to the public, including ones on the carbon tax and cannabis.

“Random digit dialing” is done for their surveys. Its website also mentions it they serve governments and non-profits.

MY TAKE:

It is important the public is always informed, particularly when it comes to digital/phone surveys. That is why I wanted to spread the word and awareness about this particular survey once I received notice about it from a local resident. If you have or someone you know has received a similar call from TellCityHall, please note it is not from your elected officials or staff here at City of Burlington. And you can help spread the word to others so that they become aware as well. Thank you.

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7 thoughts on “Received an Automated Call with the Display ‘TellCityHall’? It’s not from the City of Burlington”

  1. M.L

    I got a call today, December 31, 2024 from 1-877-644-5305 with a recorded greeting and message inviting me to participate in a survey about housing availability and affordability. I agreed and they sent a link by text, to take the survey. The link was s.tellcityhall.ca/s/TdFWpNhCjHWnG I did click the link and answered some questions but not all and there was no place for my opinion or experiences re. The housing. I hope I am not hacked! I hope I will never do that again.

    Reply
    1. John Bkila

      Hi Robin, we’re not aware of any changes to TellCityHall’s website. It is a market research company based out of Edmonton, Alta., that does surveys for the private and public sector — and it is not affiliated with the City of Burlington. Unsolicited calls and texts from organizations can be blocked on phones so a user no longer receives future messages. We encourage community members to reach out to their specific cellphone provider to learn more about blocking unwanted calls and texts.

      Reply
  3. Teji Arneja

    even I received a call from 902.334.1890 and they start saying press 1 for survey and 9 to optout I just hang up.
    Thank you for this information. They misguide by using local code and numbers and they said they are calling from tellcity hall

    Reply
  4. Sara Perks

    Thanks. I got a call today from tellcityhall. The call display showed a local 905 number. This is misleading. Thank you for the heads-up!
    — Sara, in Hamilton

    Reply
  5. Linda Griffer

    Got a call from 647 776 0422. They use the city of Toronto as an excuse to hack into your phone by pressing 1 and so …… The tellcityhall.ca is in Edmonton and not sure if it’s a legit research survey firm, but I don’t think so. Others like spammers use this technique to get into people’s phones. I’ve contacted RCMP on 647 776 0422 to find out who is pretexting to people. Report any number that you find is misleading you.

    Reply
  6. Alix Fatheringham

    Thanks for this. The automated message I received this morning was misleading and I assumed it was from my city hall/Ottawa. Will think twice about completing the survey via the link that was sent via text.

    Reply

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A Better Burlington began in 2006 after my neighbours said they felt left out of city decisions, learning about them only after they’d been made. As journalist for 22 years, I thought “I can do something about that” and a website and newsletter were born. They’ve taken various forms and names over the years, but the intent remains: To let you know what’s happening at City Hall before decisions are made, so you can influence outcomes for A Better Burlington. The best decisions are made when elected representatives tap the wisdom of our community members, and welcome many different perspectives.This site allows residents to comment and debate with each other; our Commenting Guidelines established in 2016 aim to keep debate respectful. Got an idea or comment you want to share privately? Please, get in touch:

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