A spin on an old text message scam has been making the rounds this month, with seemingly innocent content that’s putting your private information at risk. Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be wary of this tempting scam.
How the scam works
You receive a text that reads something like this: “You 4got to text last night after the bar 🙁 I really hoped we would have a fun night last night.”
If you reply to a text like this, even with a polite, “Sorry, wrong number,” the stranger responds anyway, seemingly ignoring your answer. Usually, you’ll receive a few compliments and some photos of a scantily clad woman. The names, backstory, and photos will follow a similar script, but may be different.
One consumer told BBB Mountain West that they initially felt bad for the girl and assumed she had been given a wrong number by the so-called man at the bar. They became suspicious when a photo of a naked girl was sent immediately after their response, and blocked the number.
If you continue to engage with the stranger, who is really a chat bot, it tries to trick you into registering for dating or adult websites. Your new “friend” will encourage you to sign up for a specific website to see more explicit photos, which may involve offering up your credit card number. The texts might also ask for personal information.
Considering the dubious nature of this scam, if you hand over your credit card information at any point, you could be putting yourself at risk…
