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Did you recently receive a text message saying, “Thank you for paying your bill. We have a small gift prepared for you”? The first emotion anybody would feel is elation reading a message like that.
However, give it one more thought. Do you really think a carrier company would be willing to gift you something solely because you paid your pending bill?
If you look at it that way, the sad reality starts to settle in.
The message “Your bill is paid; here’s a little gift for you” is a social media phishing scam and is fake.
Recently, scammers have been sending fraudulent text messages that claim to offer recipients a “little gift” for paying their phone or utility bills. These texts are designed to lure people to spoof websites that look like legitimate businesses.
What Is The Message “Your bill is paid; here’s a little gift for you”?
Beware of this spoof message that tries to trick customers into interacting with scam and phishing sites. These messages are very similar to another text scam that proclaimed to give “little gifts” as a way of apologizing for range or signal issues. In that scam, the sender said they were sorry for the coverage or signal issues.
In both instances, the recipients of the text message are led to fake phishing websites by clicking on the links contained in the message. These websites have been designed to mimic the appearance of the genuine websites of the companies that the con artists are pretending to be messaging the recipient from.
For instance, If the “small gift” message appears to come from T-Mobile, the link will take you to a fake website that has been created to resemble the real thing.
Although these websites may look legitimate, they are actually created by criminals. The criminal will receive this data instantly if you enter any information on these sites, like your login credentials. This gives the criminals a chance to hack your account.
And this gives them a doorstep to your personal information, which would allow them to open new phone or utility contracts under your name or commit other acts of identity fraud.
How To Avoid Falling Prey to “Little Gift” Text Scams?
Regardless of whether you’re discussing links in emails, text messages, or any type of online message, the guideline is the same. Avoid clicking on those links.
You will be able to avoid the overwhelming majority of phishing scams that come your way. If you are unsure whether or not a message is genuine, you can get in touch with the relevant company directly.
You can do this in a number of ways, such as logging into your online account directly (without clicking links) or getting in touch with them utilizing the contact information that is in your possession.
If you think a message is genuine and you click the link, the next step is to look at the domain name (URL) at the top of the screen to see if it’s from the firm. If it is, then you have successfully validated the message. Here’s a helpful read on identifying counterfeit web addresses, with extra tips.
Cybercriminals will often utilize social engineering to trick people into clicking links found in the messages they send. Be aware of their common tricks, so you don’t fall victim to them.
Any message, whether sent to your phone, email, or another form of communication, seems too good to be true (e.g., free items, prizes) is more than likely a fraud. The same goes for messages designed to scare you into taking action.”
