Do you ever get random text messages like the one below?
Fraudsters are attempting to get your attention in many different and creative ways.
Maybe you respond with, "YES, I’ll join you for a weekend trip! 😍 Where are we going? Also, who are you? 😉"
Or you may think: “Oh dear, I bet the sender would really like this person to respond. I had better let them know they have the wrong number!”
The scammers sole intent here is to engage in conversation. Once they have their victim’s attention, they may play the long game, or they may strike. Engaging in these text messages often times results in Romance Scams, Friendship Scams, or other types of fraud like Investment Scams, all of which are multi-million dollar industries.
What happens if I respond?
Receiving a scam text isn't dangerous, but if you do anything beyond looking at it, you could put yourself at risk.
- Don't respond. Any action can put you at risk of being scammed or having your identity stolen. Don't reply (even with "STOP") or call phone numbers in unsolicited text messages.
- Don't click on any links. Scam text links can send you to phishing sites or even infect your device with malware that allows fraudsters to steal your personal information.
- Resist the urge to mess with scammers. Believing that you can outsmart scammers - either by prank calling them or constantly chatting with them - only puts you more at risk.
- Block the number. This will stop scammers from pestering you and continuing to try to scam you.
- Delete the scam text. Don't leave it in your inbox where you might accidentally open it or click on a link. If possible, delete all scam texts without opening them.
What if you become a victim?
If you are concerned that you are a victim of fraud that might impact your accounts at Peoples Bank, reach out to us immediately to report the incident and protect your money! We will work with you to determine your risk, put holds or fraud alerts on your accounts, or contact authorities if necessary. We will also assist you in contacting the Social Security office and Credit Bureaus if necessary.
At Peoples Bank, we take to protect our customers, offering many options to help combat fraud, including our Fraud Center to notify you of suspected fraud and our ID TheftSmart, to help keep your identity and your finances secure.
Looking for more fraud protection tips?