Woodkirk Stone
The ongoing stress of the pandemic must surely be worth a free gift, bonus, or some sort of discount somewhere.
Unfortunately, we are seeing a wave of texts promoting bogus COVID-19-themed discounts and offers.
The Better Business Bureau mentions two specific scams hitting consumers in September.
There is the text claiming to be from Hulu. “Due to the pandemic, Hulu is giving everyone a free one-year subscription to help you stay at home.” All you have to do is click on a link, which of course will lead to all kinds of trouble.
And there’s the text claiming to be from Verizon. “COVID-19 REFUND. VERIZON COMPANY donates $ 950 to all users of our Verizon service. Again, let’s think about this a bit. Why would Verizon or any other company give hundreds of dollars in cash back? Yes, it is a scam.
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Text messages are scammers who send
Texting has become an effective way for scammers to lure harassed consumers and catch them off guard.
Media across the country have reported fake texts promising $ 500 for home energy help for low-income people, an additional $ 1,400 in government stimulus funds, more scammers claiming to be from Amazon and fake text messages from the Department of Motor Vehicles in some states promising a cash refund of $ 600 or more.
As the holiday shopping season heats up, consumers would do well to be wary once again of fake texts from UPS, FedEx and United Postal Service. Some fake texts can alert you to a “late” package or ask for money for the delivery of a package.
Texting could be the novelty as phone services block more illegal automated calls. Caller ID authentication – which was slated to be in place for large carriers by June 30 – is designed to make it easier for telephone companies to block illegal robocalls in the first place or to override them. qualify as probable spam.
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Why we are vulnerable
Scammers could also follow our habits, knowing that we text more and more and very often extremely distracted when we do.
AT&T noted in an online alert: “These days you may be using your cell phone more for texting than making calls. You are therefore probably used to receiving short, short texts which sometimes do not make sense or come from companies or organizations. ”
The AT&T alert pointed out winning a prize in an Earpods raffle.
In some cases, crooks will even send you a text message with a so-called warning about potential fraud on your account.
Here’s a key tip: “If you’re busy,” AT&T warns, “don’t do anything with the message until you can really assess the authenticity.”
The Federal Trade Commission, which has tracked virus-related scams, noted that texting has proven to be the third most popular way for scammers to connect with consumers.
The FTC noted that 16,237 COVID-19 and stimulus fund fraud reports involved consumers who received an offer, alert or other text message.
Contact Method # 1 was email with 18,466 fraud reports from January 1, 2020 to September 16, followed by fraudulent websites or apps with 16,888 fraud reports.
Texts can look a lot more authentic if they appear to be sent by big, well-known names, such as Netflix, Hulu, Verizon, and AT&T.
Consumers have told me they’ve received text messages claiming to be from AT&T saying, “We accidentally overcharged your phone bill last month. ”
Texts can be useful to crooks because, well, they can appear harmless. But experts say you just want to delete those text messages immediately.
The BBB notes, “Scammers often send shortened links that don’t let you see where they really lead in the body of their text message. If you click on the link, you may be taken to an unsafe website, or you may download malware onto your device. “
Anyone who remains hopeful of an agreement should approach the company itself. Find the official company website or any statement you have from the company and make a call or send an email.
The FTC notes that scammers send fake text messages to trick you into giving them your personal information, like your password, account number, or Social Security number.
Once this information is obtained, according to the FTC, they could gain access to your email, bank or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other crooks. You can report any suspicious text message to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.
You certainly don’t want to respond without thinking to a text message that appears to be from your bank, as fraudsters are getting more and more savvy with this type of text.
While pandemic-related discounts are now popular, consumer watchdogs are warning that there are a variety of arguments used by texting scammers.
Maybe it’s the promise of free gift cards or coupons, low rate credit cards, or even a promise to pay off your college debt.
Or a scammer pretending to be your bank might send a text saying he noticed suspicious activity on your account.
Remember, the FTC warns that clicking on some of these messages may install harmful malware onto your phone that steals your personal information without you realizing it.
Again, scammers will try any story to convince consumers that this text might be the real deal they so deserve in times of stress.
ContactSusan tompo vthat is to say [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter@trickster. To subscribe, go to freep.com/specialoffer. Rlearn more about the business and sign up for our business newsletter.