NJ Residents Warned Never Answer These Calls or Texts

🚫   Never click a link on an unsolicited text message

🚫   Scammers send out millions of fake msgs a day

🚫   Educate your kids, and elder relatives who may not be tech-savy

You have to hand it to today's scammers.

They do a good job at what they do.

They seem to know exactly how to extract information from victims, grab their cash, and get away before the victim even knows what's going on.

Just the other day, I came in contact with a scammer.

As we get closer to the holidays, many folks are doing more and more online shopping.

If you've ordered something from Amazon, you've received a confirmation from them.

If there is an issue with your order, you'll hear from them as well.

I received a very convincing text message that supposedly came from Amazon.

It would be easy to click on the link.

My guess is that as soon as I did, hackers would have immediately invaded my phone and extracted all my personal information.

Many people don't realize how much information our cell phones have about us.

A hacker accessing your phone would immediately be able to see all your contacts.

They would also see all your emails, as well as all the personal information your email contains.

The situation can be serious.

NEVER click a link from a message you weren't expecting.

Even though I recently ordered stuff from Amazon, I knew this was fake.

Look at the return "chat" number.  There are 11 digits.

From a common sense standpoint, why would they give me a refund without returning an order?

Also, they didn't mention who the merchant was.

This is just one example of a hacking attempt.

Other things to watch for include,

⚠️   Messages that have an urgent tone demanding immediate action.

They try to catch you off guard and want you to act without thinking.

⚠️   Misspelled words or poor grammar.

This can indicate the message was from another country.

⚠️   Spoofed caller ID

This is where a hacker may use a fake phone number that is from an area you are familiar with.

⚠️  Calls or texts from someone who claims they are tech support

This is where someone claims they are fixing a problem with your device.

If you receive one of these by phone or text, the best course of action is to ignore it and delete it.

You should never respond.

Many times there will be a link for you to STOP future texts.

When you do this, you are really letting the scammers know that your device is real and active.

By clicking STOP, you are actually inviting MORE scammers to contact you.

One last thing.  These scammers are ruthless.  They prey on elderly people who may become easily flustered.

A scammer can empty a bank account in mere minutes.

Take time to talk to elderly family members and your kids.

They should never click on unsolicited links, ever.