Be Careful Of New Phone Scam
There is always one thing that we can count on happening in New York and that's a scammer is going to scam someone.
We've heard about the sweetheart text scam, all of the different covid test and vaccination card scams, potential attorney scams, and all kinds of types of phone scams, we'll there is another one to add to your list of things to watch out for in 2022.
According to an alert issued by the Federal Trade Commission, there is a new cell phone scam out there that is using your own phone number against you (and others).
This new scam spoofs the Caller ID system to make it look like a text message came from your phone.
One of the tactics the scammers are now using is sending you a text that looks like a thank you for paying a bill with a link attached. The link may offer a gift or reward if you click it, but do not click it. if you do you might get it with malware or have your personal data at risk of being sold to other scammers. Another method scammers use is to spoof your number on the Caller ID system and then send texts to other people. Those people then reply to the group text and you start getting dozens of unwanted texts and/or calls.
Scammers are getting more creative every day, and that is why it's important that you take a minute and think about the messages you receive before you click a link or respond.
I got a text like this the other day and at first, I didn't think anything of it because, if I don't text myself, how can I expect anyone else to text me. However, I quickly realized that I didn't text myself so this was probably a scam.
If you find yourself getting a lot of scam texts, there are a few things you can do. You can block the number on your phone,. contact your service provider and ask them to block it, or use a call blocking app. You should also report them to the FTC's Fraud Center.