A viral online post claims that if you respond to these text messages, people will be able to track you and eventually lure you into sex trafficking. Is it true?
ATLANTA — You may have seen a post, warning people to not respond if you receive a text message like the one in the photo below. The text comes from various unknown phone numbers, with a picture of the same girl.
The viral post claims it’s a form of sex trafficking, and that if you respond, your location can be tracked.
Experts are warning that these texts, which have been sent to people nationwide, are scams.
Simone Williams with the Better Business Bureau serving metro Atlanta, Athens and northeast Georgia, said the nonprofit organization, as a whole, has received reports about this.
“Scammers are going where people are,” Williams said. “In the beginning, it looks like a romance scam that turns into a phishing scam.”
Williams said at a local level there haven’t been reports, likely due to the fact that people don’t seem to consider it a scam.
“I’m thinking people don’t consider it a scam because they did not lose any money. But what they have to remember is that a scam, is not only…
