Tulsa BBB warns of scam text messages posing as cell service providers

2 years ago 411

TULSA, Okla. — Scam substance messages posing arsenic your work supplier are becoming communal signifier for thieves.

Karen Molt said she’s received a rash of substance messages that look to beryllium from her compartment provider, AT&T.

The discourse of the substance demands payments, thing Molt said she’s already made.

"I don't privation to beryllium taken vantage of either,” she said.

The connection successful question besides states “We volition fastener your instrumentality soon. Please wide spam messages."

"I’m assuming that erstwhile you scan that, you are scanning a microorganism onto your phone,” Molt said.

Bryce Marshall with the Tulsa Better Business Bureau said Molt is close for trusting her gut.

“We spot them each the time,” Marshall said. “I personally get them each the time."

Scam texts are making their rounds not lone successful Green Country but nationwide.

"Scammers get your numbers from either antithetic websites that you've signed up for,” Marshalls said.

He said that info gets sold to 3rd parties, making it casual for scammers to get a clasp of you. The messages tin beryllium enticing, too. Some adjacent committedness a compensation.

"There are truthful galore radical that if they spot a fig oregon an entity that they are acquainted with, that they click connected them,” Molt said.

The consequences of clicking connected a nexus sent to your telephone vary. Marshall said they tin sometimes beryllium minor. Users volition beryllium sent to a fake website wherever they’ll beryllium prompted to participate idiosyncratic information. Sometimes it volition inquire for a friend’s accusation arsenic well.

Marshall said that's a reddish flag. Do not participate your oregon anyone else’s idiosyncratic accusation connected an unfamiliar website. If you do, the scam could escalate.

“Unfortunately, immoderate of the worst ones are erstwhile you spell to a fake website that you enactment successful fiscal accusation and this is erstwhile they drawback a clasp of 1 of your recognition cards numbers, your banking institution, routing number, and relationship number.,” Marshall said.

This s could permission victims successful fiscal ruin. Before you spell clicking a nexus sent to your phone, the BBB advises you to deliberation first.

“You privation to archetypal marque definite you person a membership, let’s accidental with Amazon oregon Hulu, oregon something,” Marshall said. “If you don’t person a rank with them, of course, don’t click connected it."

Consumers tin besides telephone the institution the substance appears to beryllium from and inquire them if they are sending retired warnings oregon promotional contented via text. Often, the institution volition beryllium capable to archer you if it is simply a scam.

To enactment up to day connected the scams successful your area, you tin way the astir caller enactment by visiting the BBB's scam tracker.

Watch the afloat communicative connected 2 News Oklahoma connected Wednesday astatine 6 a.m.

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