TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Get a text from an unknown number asking to meet up? The Florida attorney general says you should probably ignore it. It could be a scam.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said the scam is commonly referred to as the “wrong number text scam.”
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
A more recent version of the ploy is being referred to as the “awkward text scam” after Charlotte County residents reported receiving messages containing a picture of a young woman asking to meet targets for a “spicy night.”
In response, Moody is issuing a warning to Floridians to never click on links from unfamiliar phone numbers.
READ: Scam Alert: OUC says scammers are trying to get payments over the phone
“We often warn about imposters who pose as law enforcement or government officials to intimidate targets into parting with money or personal information,” Moody said in a statement. “But imposters don’t just pose as authority figures, they can also act as potential love interests or friends.”
Moody said the scammers will try to get you to download malware or give up personal information. Her guidance to avoid being scammed is to never engage with strangers online or respond to messages from unknown senders.
READ: Florida attorney general, FTC shut down telemarketing scam targeting credit cardholders
For more information about romance scams, similar to the wrong number text scam, view Attorney General Moody’s Scams at a Glance: Swindling Sweethearts resource by clicking here.
The Better Business Bureau provides further tips on how to spot red flags of fake text messages. For more information, click here.
READ: Consumers lost nearly $6 billion to fraud in 2021, imposter scams top the list
To report wrong number text scams, contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center here, or visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Report Fraud website here.
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2022 Cox Media Group
