Text Messaging Scams
#1 Scam - Fake Text Messages
Text messaging scams are now the most prevalent variety of attempted fraud. These messages are presented as urgent requests for you to click a link, verify a transaction, provide personal and/or financial information, or share a one-time passcode.
How it Works
The scammers impersonate Abilene Teachers, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, credit card companies, your mobile phone company and many, many other organizations. You might even receive a ‘wrong number’ text from someone who supposedly contacted you in error. These scams often take place during weekends or holidays because the scammers know that support staff is often unavailable during those hours.
We advise you not answer an unexpected text message. Don’t even reply ‘NO’ because that tells the scammer that he has a good number and he’ll try to call. 60% of these scam messages are designed to deliver “malware” to your mobile device. It can infect your phone and grab enough information for a scammer to steal your identity.
Recognizing a Text Scam
Avoid text scams by being vigilant. Always examine a text carefully before taking any action. Be especially wary of the following:
- Any text message that arrives out-of-the-blue
- Any text message that mentions ‘fraudulent activity detected’
- Any text message that mentions ‘free gift’
If you’re unsure, contact the source that the text appears to come from. If it’s about your credit card, call the phone number on the back of your card, not the phone number on the text.
If it’s about your credit union account, login to mobile or only banking and verify the activity.
Should you find the message is a fake, forward it to 7726 to help your wireless carrier identify scammers.