BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning people of a new texting scam that has been making it rounds around Western New York.
The BBB says they received several reports over the weekend through their Scam Tracker of a text scam. While it may look innocent, they say it is a scam.
Here is how the scam works, according to the BBB. You get a text from someone claiming they recently met you, hoping that you will reply, even with a 'sorry, wrong number'. Then, the scammer responds, ignoring your answer and you receive more compliments and photos. They say the scammer is using phony 'wrong number' texts to lure unsuspecting people into a conversation, and possibly a scam.
If you engage with the scammer, they could try to trick you into registering for dating or adult websites, and your new "friend" will try to encourage you to sign up for a specific site to see more photos and may involve asking for your credit card number.
The Better Business Bureau office offers some tips on how to avoid these types of scams:
- Ignore texts from strangers. If you receive a text from someone you don’t know, simply don’t reply. It’s the safest route. If you engage with a scammer, even briefly, they will mark your number as active and you could receive even more shady texts in the future.
- Block numbers that appear to come from scammers. Unsolicited texts that look like they come from a chatbot or that ask you to click on suspicious links are probably not safe. Block these numbers to prevent scammers from contacting you through them again.
- Never give your personal information to strangers. Never share your credit card or banking information, your full name, home address, or social security number with someone you never met in person.
If you have received this scam, you're asked to report it to the BBB.org/ScamTracker , and you can also read about other scams happening in your area.
