There are reports of scammers throughout Acadiana who are using text messages to try and steal your information.
Most recently the Lake Arthur Police Department posted on Facebook a screenshot of a text, which has been the cause of numerous reports.
It's a text sent by an email address asking people to click a link. the links shared could infect your phone and lead to the loss of valuable information.
It's one of the latest ways scammers are trying to steal your information.
"They make it sound so good, but it's not," Cory Lundy who was recently targeted by scammers said. He received a phone call that he says was too good to be true.
"They called and told me that because I never got in trouble and a model citizen that they were going to give me $9,000," Lundy said. "When they offer money like that people can fall for it."
He was asked to go to the nearest Walmart to have the money transferred through a money-gram.
"The more you get into it with them , the more personal information they want. I kind of knew it was a scam," Lundy said. He didn't fall for the scam and reported it to the better business bureau.
Unfortunately, this isn't his first experience with scammers. "I get text messages, but really don't pay attention to that too much," Lundy said.
According to the Better Business Bureau, there's been an increase in reports of scam's during the pandemic, mostly on-line.
It's important to not click any link that come to cell phone from a suspicious number.
"It could download malware onto your phone or onto your computer. Or it could bring you to a website or something that is fraudulent," Chris Babin with the Better Business Bureau of Acadiana said.
The malware could infect your phone and give scammers access to personal information.
It's best to ignore any texts or phone numbers you don't recognize. Also, never reply to a spam text.
"So scammers typically target different areas," Babin said. There might be an influx at a certain time in the Acadiana area. Maybe an area close to us and then for a while nobody will get the text messages or phone calls. But, don't think they've gone away. You will get phone calls and text messages that you don't recognize. We just encourage you to screen those calls. Make sure your caller ID is working properly and that you keep your voicemail box cleaned out."
How to stop spam texts
Most phones have a setting to automatically filter potential spam texts so they don't appear in the same list with texts from known contacts.
For iPhone's, open the Settings app and tap "Messages." Scroll down and turn on "Filter Unknown Senders" by swiping the button to the right.
For Android's, open the Messaging app and tap the three dots at the top right. In the drop-down menu, choose "Settings," and then tap "Spam Protection." Finally, turn on "Enable spam protection" by swiping the button to the right. Or it could be listed under Settings as " enable Caller ID & Spam".
You can also report a spam message to your cellular carrier. You will need to copy and forward the original text to the number 7726 (which spells out SPAM), free of charge. You can use this method if you are a Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, or Bell subscriber.
