There Are New Text Scams Going Around Right Now. Here’s What You Need To Know.

There are new scams going around, and y’all need to be aware it’s out there, and be prepared if someone tries to scam you.

Somebody will call or text you, and say that you didn’t pay a bill last month, OR they will say that your payment for your bill didn’t go through. They are trying to get you to give up your information, and eventually pay them hundreds of dollars via a banking gift card.

Y’all. You might think, “OMG. I’d never fall for this. It’s obviously a scam.”

But, this happened to my parents, who are very careful and keep track of EVERYTHING. I mean they make copies and have files of all their bills that go back years.

The scammer got them so flustered and confused, my parents had given them their banking information, credit card information, and even let these con-artists screen share on their computer before they realized they were being scammed.

My dad was even on his way to buy a Visa Gift Card to “pay his bill,” when my mom finally let her intuition kick in, and realized something wasn’t right.

When these people call or text you, it seems very legit. They will elude to the fact that they are with AT&T, Mastercard, or even Amazon.

The scammers will either say that you’re payment didn’t go through for the month, or they will say that someone tried to hack your account.

AT&T – like the Internal Revenue Service and others – will not send a text or email to ask you to supply your Social Security number, personal account information, or credit card number.

Yahoo Finance

If you think something is a red flag, TRUST YOUR GUT. It’s very possible that your are the victim of such a scam.

There are a couple other versions of this scam going around.

In one case, they will say that you have a warrant out for your arrest. Please don’t fall for this. Nobody is ever going to call you on the phone and tell you you are going to be arrested.

Yet another claims that they are the FBI, and they are part of a drug trafficking ring. They will say something like, “As part of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation, we intercepted an envelope en route to your home address containing a large sum of money and account information that we believe belongs to you. We believe you could be involved in a serious crime, but you could save your own skin.”

Y’all. The FBI isn’t going to call your house, and give you this information.

There is also a scam where the person on the phone says you are owed money. But, in order to get the money, you have to go ahead and send them $500 (or some other amount) to make sure everything goes smoothly.

IT’S A SCAM.

There are ways to check all this information. If you are in question, call a LEGIT number that you have in your records for the companies in question. Tell them you got the phone call, and ask them if it was, in fact, them. Most likely, they will tell you that it was not them.

If you have money coming to you, there are specific government websites that you can use to check to verify this information — and they will NEVER ask you to send them money before you can receive a payment.

So, basically, y’all be safe out there. Trust your gut instincts. If something doesn’t seem quite right, 100% of the time, it is most likely a scam. Please don’t fall for it.