{"id":28953,"date":"2026-08-28T00:46:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T05:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.planhub.ca\/blog\/?p=28953"},"modified":"2026-08-28T00:47:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T05:47:01","slug":"250-dollar-internet-scam-daniel-benoit-montreal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.planhub.ca\/blog\/en\/250-dollar-internet-scam-daniel-benoit-montreal\/","title":{"rendered":"Internet for $250 a Year: The Fake \u201cDaniel-Beno\u00eet\u201d Duo Behind a Targeted Scam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two names, one voice. Across three phone calls, PlanHub\u2019s investigation found that \u201cDaniel,\u201d the first person to answer, and \u201cBeno\u00eet,\u201d the supposed technical manager who was expected to call back, are clearly the same man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The offer is designed to attract attention: unlimited high-speed Internet, cable or fibre television, 30 channels of the customer\u2019s choice, equipment and installation, all for a single $250 payment covering an entire year. On paper, \u201cRapide Connexions\u201d promises spectacular savings. The moment questions are asked, however, the story begins to fall apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a photograph of the flyer appeared on Reddit, PlanHub called the number shown on it. No invoice. No guaranteed speed. Vague references to Bell and Videotron. Identities that change. Then, during the third call, a question about skin colour and an explicit refusal to serve White people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pattern reveals the outline of a targeted scheme: gain the trust of newcomers from Africa or the Caribbean who may not yet know the usual prices, contracts and practices of Quebec\u2019s telecommunications market. PlanHub no longer considers this a poorly explained offer. The complete absence of invoices, the false identities, the ethnic targeting and the lack of any recognized relationship with Videotron all point in the same direction: a scam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A $20.83 Monthly Promise, Including Television<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The flyer claims that a customer can receive unlimited high-speed Internet and cable or fibre television with 30 channels of their choice for a single $250 payment. Spread over twelve months, that works out to approximately $20.83 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of publication, the cheapest residential Internet plans listed by PlanHub in Montreal<\/a> start at roughly $40 per month, without television included. An exceptionally low price does not prove fraud on its own. It does require serious verification, especially when the flyer does not provide an exact speed, a legal business name, an address, tax information or service conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Call: Every Speed at the Same Price<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During the first call, our team asked \u201cDaniel\u201d whether he was acting as a reseller and requested details about the technology and speed included with the offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The caller said the speed would depend on the area and mentioned several possibilities, ranging from 50 or 100 Mbps to 1.5 and even 8 Gbps. He then claimed that the price would remain the same regardless of the speed available at the customer\u2019s address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That answer creates the first major problem. The word \u201cunlimited\u201d normally refers to the amount of data that can be used, not the speed of the connection. A legitimate Internet offer should clearly state the download and upload speeds being sold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to \u201cDaniel,\u201d the owner would personally handle the installation and bring both a modem and a television receiver. He also claimed that the service could run through Bell or Videotron, without explaining which company would actually provide the connection at a specific address, presenting a wholesale agreement or identifying a real underlying provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Deux<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

No Invoice <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A small independent provider can legally use a larger company\u2019s network through a genuine wholesale agreement. It must still be able to identify the network, explain what it is reselling and provide the customer with a contract. A single residential connection does not become both a Bell and a Videotron subscription through one $250 annual payment. Presenting the networks as interchangeable, without naming a partner or providing documentation, is a major warning sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PlanHub contacted representatives at Quebecor and Videotron about the flyer. Based on the information provided to our team, Videotron does not recognize any agreement with this person or with \u201cRapide Connexions.\u201d The company said it would conduct its own checks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When our team asked whether an invoice would be provided, the answer was unambiguous: there would be no invoice at all. No document at the time of payment, no billing during the year and no formal account follow-up. After twelve months, the customer would simply start again and pay another $250. The caller also offered a free one-week trial before asking for the potential customer\u2019s address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This structure would make recourse extremely difficult. Without an invoice, contract, customer account or legal business identity, a person who loses money may struggle to prove what was purchased. The number could later be replaced and the flyer redistributed in a different form. PlanHub has not confirmed that the number has already changed, but the possibility could help explain why an offer apparently circulating over time has left so few formal complaints or traceable records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second Call: \u201cDaniel\u201d Promises a Call From \u201cBeno\u00eet\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During a second exchange, PlanHub openly explained why the offer appeared suspicious. Our caller questioned the identical price for every speed, the absence of an invoice and the lack of technical details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDaniel\u201d then claimed that he only answered calls and that someone named \u201cBeno\u00eet\u201d would call back to answer the questions. During the conversation, he also asked whether the PlanHub caller was a \u201cdouble agent,\u201d an unusual reaction from a representative supposedly trying to reassure a potential customer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The call ended with a promise that \u201cBeno\u00eet\u201d would make contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Journaliste<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Third Call: \u201cBeno\u00eet\u201d Has Exactly the Same Voice as \u201cDaniel\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The man who was supposed to be \u201cBeno\u00eet\u201d eventually called back. When the PlanHub representative simply asked how installation and payment would work, the caller first asked whether he was an investigator. He then asked about his colour and nationality before declaring in French: \u201cMoi, je ne donne pas de services aux Blancs,\u201d meaning, \u201cI do not provide services to White people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He followed with a racist statement about the origin of humanity and quickly ended the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the recordings are compared, the match is obvious: the same tone, accent, cadence and intonation. For PlanHub and members of the Reddit community, \u201cDaniel\u201d and \u201cBeno\u00eet\u201d are the same caller using two identities. This is not a biometric voice analysis, but the audible similarity is immediate and extremely difficult to dispute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the investigation into the Internet offer, the refusal expressed during the call raises a separate issue. Section 12 of Quebec\u2019s Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms<\/a> prohibits discriminatory refusals involving goods or services ordinarily offered to the public. The province\u2019s human rights commission notes that colour, race and ethnic or national origin are protected grounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Personnages<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Scam Targeting Newcomers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The refusal to serve White people completely changes how this story must be understood. This is no longer simply a confused seller offering a deal that sounds too good to be true. The caller appears to filter potential customers according to their origin or skin colour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reddit users have also reported seeing the flyers in buildings and neighbourhoods where many newcomers live, including people from Africa and the Caribbean. The successive Reddit threads about the story generated hundreds of comments. Many participants reached the same conclusion: the offer appears designed to exploit people who may be less familiar with the local market. PlanHub has not independently verified every reported building, but these observations are consistent with the behaviour heard during the third call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every sign points to a targeted scam. Someone who recently arrived in Quebec may not know that residential Internet generally costs much more than $20.83 per month, that a provider must issue a written contract or that an 8 Gbps connection cannot credibly be promised at the same vague price as a 50 Mbps service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This targeting is not based on any lack of intelligence among potential victims. It exploits a normal information gap that exists when someone arrives in a new country: unfamiliarity with local providers, prices, consumer remedies and the documents a legitimate seller must provide. The caller\u2019s identity-based language may be intended to create a false sense of community and trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Vendeur<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How the Scheme Could Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The precise technical method remains unknown. The scheme could involve collecting $250 and temporarily providing a connection obtained through some other means. Another possibility would be opening a legitimate account in the customer\u2019s name, leaving that person responsible for the provider\u2019s later bills. The service could also come from a shared, diverted or unauthorized resold connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The absence of a contract, invoice, commercial identity and technical explanation prevents the customer from knowing what is actually being purchased. If an installed connection uses Bell, Videotron or another network without an agreement, it could constitute diverted access or unauthorized resale. Only an inspection of a real installation can confirm that part of the scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Remains Unknown<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The calls document deeply concerning statements, but they do not yet reveal exactly how the service operates. PlanHub has not confirmed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n