CRIME ALERT

The Abington Township Police Department has received national intelligence related to criminals sending scam text messages to steal personally identifiable financial information and commit fraud. The criminals send fake text messages to trick you into giving them your personal information- things like your password, account number or social security number. If they get that information, they could gain access to your email, bank account, or sell your information to other scammers on the dark web.

The criminals use a variety of ever-changing stories to try to trick victims. They may promise free prizes, gift cards or coupons, offer you a low or no interest credit card, or help you pay off your student loans. Some scammers may say that they noticed suspicious activity on your account, claim there is a problem with your payment information, or send you a fake package delivery notification.

Recently, many people in the Abington area, at least 10,000 Verizon customers, received a text message that read “Free Msg: Your bill is paid for March. Thanks, here’s a little gift for you: and included a link. The text message is sent from a phone number that appears to be your own cell phone number. The link leads to a Russian website.

Recommendations:

▪If the same number continuously sends you spam, you can always block the number

▪Be careful with your phone number and email. Only share your phone number and email address with people you know

▪Be suspicious of any unsolicited messages. Don’t ever click on links in an email or text message that goes to a website unless you are absolutely certain it is authentic