Arizona’s law enforcement agencies are warning consumers about an increase in text scammers impersonating government agencies.
According to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, fraudsters are using fake text messages to trick Arizonans into downloading malware, sharing sensitive information, or sending money by pretending to be a trustworthy institution.
Scammers will say they work for the ADOT, USPS, or Pima County Superior Court — but sometimes they give you fake agency names, like the non-existent ‘Arizona Ministry of Communications.’
It’s critical to recognize that this is a scam, government agencies will never call, email, text, or message you on social media to ask for money or personal information. No government agency will demand you wire money or pay with gift cards, cryptocurrency, or a payment app. Only a scammer will do that.
No matter which agency they’re pretending to represent, government imposters share a common set of strategies to steal your information and savings. With government impersonation scams, the bad actors phish for consumers personal and financial information by including a phony web link in text messages that, if clicked, will take consumers to a counterfeit website. Not only is the scammer trying to steal consumers’ money, but if you click the link, they could get your personal info (like your driver’s license number) — and even steal your identity.
The Attorney General’s Office recommends these steps to avoid being scammed:
- Ignore messages from unknown numbers claiming to be government agencies, financial institutions, shippers, and private companies.
- Never click links, reply to text messages or call numbers you don’t recognize.
- Do not respond, even if the message requests that you “text STOP” to end messages.
- Delete all suspicious texts. Look for red flags in the text message, like misspellings or directions pressuring you to act quickly.
- Protect any sensitive personal information – bank accounts, health records, social media accounts, etc. – by using multi-factor authentication to access it.
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office says that if you are concerned that a government agency is legitimately trying to reach you, first delete the text, and then be reach out to the agency directly. Research the legitimate agency’s contact information via a search engine (don’t rely on the text you received).
The Attorney General’s Office also recommends the following to prevent unwanted text messages:
- Update your device. Make sure your smart device OS and security apps are updated to the latest version.
- Use filters. Check if your mobile phone has options to filter and block texts from unknown senders– here’s how to filter and block messages on an iPhone and how to block a phone number on an Android phone. Many robocall blocking apps can also block text messages.
To report unwanted messages and all suspected scams, use your phone’s “report junk” option or forward unwanted texts to 7726 (SPAM).
Got one this morning – court actions pending – act NOW or consequences will occur – with day /date of actions ‘final notice’… little did they know their phones are soon set to explode.