(The Center Square) – The Arizona Attorney General’s office is warning consumers about the rise in text scams.
The Federal Trade Commission reported a record-high of 378,119 fraud complaints about text scams in 2021. This marked an increase over the number of complaints it received in 2020 (332,275), according to a press release from the Attorney General’s office.
In 2021 alone, Americans lost at least $131 million due to text scams; the median loss was $900 per person.
The Arizona Attorney General’s office also says it has seen an increase in complaints about these scams.
“Our office has made great strides in battling telephone scams and bogus calls, but the fraudsters are relentless,” Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a press release. “Text messaging schemes are now on the rise, and people are losing their money.”
Brnovich’s office notes that text scams deceive consumers by sending them a cryptic message in hopes that they will either respond or click on a link.
For example, these scammers sometimes pretend to be banks and financial institutions. They text people claiming to inform them of suspicious activity regarding their bank accounts. The scammers then ask people to verify their account username, password, or PIN.
Brnovich’s office also warns of delivery scams. In these cases, fraudsters pretend to be delivery services and ask…
