HOUSEHOLDS are being warned about a new phishing scam that could leave you thousands out of pocket.
The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau is warning residents about a “wrong number” con in Milwaukee, but it’s affecting other states too.
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Officials say this type of scheme is typically how romance scams start.
The messages read something like, “Hi handsome! I had so much fun last night,” and usually include a picture of a blonde or red-haired woman.
The origin of the messages is unknown, and it’s unclear who the women are too.
When The Sun first started investigating, members of the news staff revealed they too had gotten the suspect text messages.
Officials told WISN News they believe the goal is for the receiver to reply back “wrong number” and engage in more conversation.
Some victims have allegedly gotten texts with nude photos after replying back and starting a conversation with the sender.
Others say they have gotten links to a dating site where the sender will try to get them to spend money.
Any time a victim responds, authorities say the sender is likely able to confirm the active phone number and sell the information to a spammer.
It comes as an important annual report on fraud came out yesterday, revealing scams were up 70% in 2021.
This was the discovery of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which estimates the cost to consumers to be over half a billion dollars.
Most of the schemes fall under the “imposter scam” category, they said.
The most commonly reported schemes are romance schemes, online shopping schemes, and fake lottery winner schemes.
What should you do if you get these messages?
Officials say whatever you do, do not respond.
As they told WISN: “If you respond, what you are really doing for the scammer is confirming yours is a legitimate phone number.”
Here are the actions you should take after getting a phishing text:
- Ignore texts from strangers
- Block numbers that appear to come from scammers
- Never give your personal information to strangers – especially not credit card or banking information
If you do compromise your personal information by accident, you can report the incident to law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission.
If you’ve been the victim of a text message scam, you can also report it to the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker.
What are phishing messages?
Phishing messages or emails are designed to look like ordinary messages – but they can do real harm to your phone or computer, and possibly even compromise your personal information.
They come from seemingly harmless, and sometimes familiar, contacts or companies.
Cybersecurity experts say that clicking a link from a suspicious text or email doesn’t necessarily mean the user will be hacked.
However, it’s always best to be skeptical on the internet.
For more on scams and fraud, read how thousands of Americans are losing money online.
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