GREENPORT – Scammers pretending to be part of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office sent a mass text message Friday morning as part of a phishing swindle.
The texts – which are from the local 518 area code – greet those receiving them by their first name, then offer them $10 off a Columbia County Sheriff’s Office T-shirt if they click on a link.
Columbia County Sheriff’s Capt. Kevin Skype said he could not put a number on how many people received the text, and he was unaware of anyone who had yet fallen for the scam.
He was therefore unsure of what happened once the link was clicked, but suspected it was a phishing scam.
Phishing scammers contact people online often while masquerading as someone the intended victim knows or would trust in an attempt to gather additional information, which can then be used to steal from or defraud the individual.
“They’re going to entice people who do click on the link to provide information – date of birth, Social Security number – that’s where they’re heading with this,” Skype said.
The scam follows the discovery of a similar scheme on Thursday, wherein county residents received texts claiming to be from the United States Postal Service.
The texts claim a package has “arrived” and that it will be returned if the receiver does not update their shipping…
