Home Scams Beware of Text Messages Claiming That You Have Won Valuable Prizes
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Beware of Text Messages Claiming That You Have Won Valuable Prizes

written by Brett M. Christensen May 29, 2019
Text messages prize scam

Scammers regularly use phone text messages as a means of gaining new victims.

Often, they attempt to lure victims to scam websites by claiming that they have won a prize.

Here’s a typical example:

iPhone X prize scam text message

Transcript:

You have won the new iPhone X (512GB) and 1 year Netflix for FREE. Claim it here: [link omitted]

But, in fact, you have won nothing at all and the promised prizes do not exist.

If you follow the link in the hope of claiming your prize, you may be tricked into downloading malware to your phone.

Or, you may be taken to a scam website that promises the chance to win further prizes in exchange for supplying your name and contact details. These sites will share your information with dodgy marketing companies who will inundate you with unwanted email, text messages, and phone calls.

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Some versions may try to trick you into entering your mobile phone number, ostensibly to claim a prize or go in the draw for other prizes. But, by supplying your number, you will actually be subscribing to a very expensive SMS “service” that charges you several dollars for every message they send you.

Some versions may even try to steal your credit card details by claiming that you have won a valuable prize but are required to pay the cost of shipping the prize to you.

The offered prizes and other details may vary in different versions of these scams.

So, be wary of any unsolicited text message claiming you have won a prize in a competition or promotion that you have never heard of.

 

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Brett Christensen