Attorney General Chris Carr is warning Georgians to be wary of text message scams, which include texts from unknown or unexpected senders including links that solicit payment or sensitive information.
“Scammers will use any method to carry out their crimes,” Carr warned, “including sending messages that look to originate from a reputable source, such as a government body, law enforcement agency, bank, or well-known business.”
“What appears to be an urgent or appealing message is often a fraudster’s effort to infect your device or steal your money or personal information.
Our goal is to provide Georgians with the tools they need to defend themselves from scammers and thieves, and we’re ready to help any consumer who believes they’ve been a victim of a text message scam.”
The Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division has provided the following resources to assist Georgians in recognising and avoiding frequent text messaging scams.
Scams involving driver’s licences: You receive a text message from the Department of Driver Services, claiming that your licence has been temporarily suspended.
Then you’re asked to click on a bogus link to validate your driver’s licence information. It’s a ruse. Customers are never contacted through text message by the Department of Driver Services until they contact them first.
If a problem with a customer’s driver’s licence arises, the agency will notify clients in writing before taking any action.
Government Imposter Scams: Do not be fooled by threatening text messages from the IRS, the Social Security Administration, law enforcement, or other government agencies threatening to arrest you or suspend your Social Security account unless you click on a link and provide payment information right away.
Ignore the message and, if you’re concerned that the allegation might be true, find out the agency’s phone number and call it directly.
Prizes and Reward Points: A fraudster impersonating a well-known corporation, such as Amazon, Walmart, or AT&T, sends you a text message saying that you have won a prize or that you will win a prize if you are among the first 100 people to click on a link.
When you click on the link, you’ll be asked to input your bank account information so that the “prize money” may be deposited immediately into your account.
A similar scenario is when you receive a text message from a well-known business or online merchant saying that you have reward points that are about to expire. You will be requested to click on a link to enter your financial and/or account information once more.
Package Deliveries: These phishing texts state that you have a shipment waiting for you and instruct you to click on a link to confirm delivery, set delivery preferences, or track the package.
If you click the link, you will be prompted to provide personal information or payment information to complete the delivery.
In this situation, the best course of action is to ignore the message and avoid responding to or clicking any of the links within it.
Instead, get in touch with the shipper directly by looking up their customer service information.
Suspended bank or credit card account: You receive a text message warning you that there has been fraudulent activity on your account. You are prompted to enter your debit or credit card number, account number, and/or PIN by clicking on a link or calling a phone number. Do not respond to the sender or click on the link once more.
Instead, call the financial institution’s phone number, which is printed on the back of your credit or debit card or on your monthly statement.
Text Message Scams and How to Avoid Them
Do not respond to texts or click on links from unknown or unverified senders. It could infect your phone with malware, give the scammer access to all of your data, or lock your phone.
Never give your credit card number, bank account, driver’s licence number, online account name, password, or PIN to someone who texts you unexpectedly.
If you want to make sure the text message is genuine, call or visit the company or agency directly using a verified phone number or website, not the one provided in the text message.
Even if prompted to “text STOP” to end the message, do not respond to a suspicious or unwanted text message.
While texting “STOP” to a legitimate organisation will opt you out of receiving future texts, doing so in response to a scam message will inform the scammer that your number is active and can be sold to other criminals.
You can check whether the number from which the texts are coming is legitimate by looking it up online to see if it is used for text messages by a reputable organisation or business.
Ensure that your smart device and security apps are up to date.
Make contact with the organisation that the con artist is impersonating so that they are aware of the situation and can take appropriate action.
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Scams, identity theft, credit and debt, reverse mortgages, charitable giving, home repairs, funerals, advance directives, long-term care, elder abuse, and more are all covered in the Georgia Consumer Protection Guide for Older Adults.
The publication is available in three languages: English, Spanish, and Korean. To obtain a hard copy of the Guide, contact the Consumer Protection Division or click here to download it.
The guide, Cybersecurity in Georgia: A Guide for Small Businesses, Non-Profits, and Places of Worship, is intended to help organisations raise awareness and understanding of cyber threats while also highlighting common industry best practices.
The Guide includes advice and information on a variety of topics, including how to protect your data and network, how to train employees about cybersecurity, how to prepare for and respond to a security breach, cyber insurance, and more.
To obtain a hard copy of the Guide, contact the Consumer Protection Division or click here to download it.
