It sometimes feels like we get more text messages from scammers than from real people these days. And it’s not your imagination that things have gotten worse in the past year.
“In March, 11.6 billion scam messages were sent on American wireless networks, up 30 percent from February,” the New York Times reports.
Following are some of the worst recent scams to watch for.
1. Medicare scams
The Federal Trade Commission notes scammers are taking advantage of Medicare’s open enrollment period to rip off seniors. The scam involves impersonating Medicare agents who request your Social Security number, banking details or credit card information in order to keep your benefits or sign up for a better plan.
Real Medicare representatives should already have the information they need from you. If not, they will call — not text — and only in specific situations, as described in this Medicare publication on fraud.
You can report scammers of this type by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) or visiting ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
2. Social Security scams
Scammers impersonating Social Security officials have been offering people higher benefits over text messages and luring them to a fake website to steal personal information, the Social Security Administration says.
There are ways to increase your benefit, but Social Security will only text you in certain rare situations
