BBB alerts consumers to rising text scams
FTC: Text scams cost Americans $470 million dollars last year
(InvestigateTV) — First it was robocalls on landlines, then cell phones, and now text spam and scams are flooding our devices.
Melanie McGovern, spokesperson for the Better Business Bureau (BBB), said reports of text scams are pouring in from across the country.
“From packages being held at the warehouse to, we have a job for you, to there’s an issue with their bank account. Which scares people!” McGovern said. “They’re hoping people are nervous enough to click on a link and start going down a rabbit hole of giving up information.”
Among the many fake texts hitting phones, the BBB said some of the fastest growing involve tolls and even state DMVs.
“A lot of states went to cashless tolls. There are no more toll booths. They’re using gantries and radio frequencies from EZ passes,” she explained. “So, if you’re driving, especially in the summer, and you don’t know that where you went has a toll and you get a text, you might think it’s real! So that’s what scammers are relying on.”
McGovern urged people to pay attention to who is texting them.
“I’ve gotten foreign phone numbers before. I’ve gotten email addresses before,” she shared. “If it’s something that you never signed up for, like, if you get a job text scam and you’re not really looking for a job and you don’t have your resume posted anywhere, that’s a huge red flag.”
Scammers count on people to panic. If a text urges immediate action, be very suspicious.
Never give out personal information, like birthdates or social security numbers, to anyone who contacts you out of the blue.
“And if you do get these texts, even if you don’t lose money, please report it to BBB scam tracker,” McGovern pleaded. “It’s so important for us to have that data.”
To report a suspicious text or call, visit the BBB Scam Tracker or file a complaint to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
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