TULSA, Okla. — The Better Business Bureau is passing along a warning involving a new scam.
Remember, there’s no such thing as a “free lunch.”
Businesses may occasionally offer a small, free gift to their customers.
“Maybe it’s like $5, $10 max. But they’re not going to send you anything crazy where it’s hundreds of dollars, or a brand new phone,” said Bryce Marshall with the Better Business Bureau.
Marshall says the latest scams involves a text message that includes a link to an unfamiliar website. The text doesn’t specify which company sent it, and the text could be a part of a large group chat with other unrecognized numbers.
“They’re just sending this to a whole bunch of random phone numbers that you have no idea who they are. They’re saying this is a free gift for basically anybody,” said Marshall.
Don’t ever click on a link from strangers. Be wary of suspicious links sent by friends through text messages or social media. Even well-meaning friends could send dangerous links without realizing it’s a scam.
HERE’S TOMORROW’S BBB SCAM ALERT:
[TAKE SOT] (ANIM) (YOU’VE LIKELY HEARD THERE’S “NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH”... TONIGHT’S BBB SCAM ALERT INVOLVES A FREE GIFT. FOX23 MORNING ANCHOR MICHELLE LINN EXPLAINS WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR.) [TAKE PKG] [Notes:R>PERMANENT VIDEO>MICHELLE>BBB>FREE GIFT TEXT SCAM] (ML LL INTRO CPOD:) THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU WARNS *OCCASIONALLY* A BUSINESS WILL OFFER YOU A FREE GIFT, TO SAY THANKS FOR YOUR BUSINESS... BUT IT DOESN’T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME--- AND IT’S ALWAYS A *SMALL* GIFT. (BRYCE MARSHALL/BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU) 22:08 maybe it’s like five ten dollars max but they’re not going to send you anything crazy where it’s hundreds of dollars or brand new phone or some kind of huge brand new technology that just came out BRYCE MARSHALL FROM THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU WARNS THE LATEST SCAM INVOLVES A TEXT MESSAGE, WITH A LINK TO AN UNFAMILIAR WEBSITE. THE TEXT DOESN’T SPECIFY WHAT COMPANY IS SENDING IT, AND WHAT’S EVEN MORE DISTURBING IS THAT THE GROUP TEXT MAY BE SENT TO A DOZEN OTHER NUMBERS YOU DON’T RECOGNIZE. (BRYCE) 20:15 that’s an instant scam if you do see this especially in a large group setting (BRYCE) 20:19 they’re just sending this to a whole bunch of random phone numbers that you have no idea who they are and they’re saying this is a free gift for basically everybody (BRYCE) 20:34 the main thing is they’re trying to get your information by clicking into these websites and saying that you have to pay for shipping (ML CPOD LL TAG:) HE SAYS DON’T FALL FOR IT... DON’T EVER CLICK ON LINKS FROM STRANGERS... AND BE WARY OF SUSPICIOUS LINKS SENT BY FRIENDS, TOO. EVEN WELL-MEANING FRIENDS COULD FORWARD SUSPICIOUS LINKS, NOT REALIZING IT’S A SCAM. SCAMMERS OFTEN USE AN EXCITING OFFER AS PART OF A PHISHING SCAM, TO GET YOU EXCITED, SO YOU’LL CLICK THE LINK WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT IT FIRST. COVERING NEWS THAT MATTERS, MICHELLE LINN, FOX23 NEWS. (ANCHOR TAG: THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU SAYS YOU CAN ALWAYS CALL THE COMPANY DIRECTLY TO CONFIRM A MESSAGE IN A TEXT... AND REMEMBER, BUSINESSES NEED YOUR PERMISSION TO SEND YOU TEXT MESSAGES, SO IF YOU NEVER OPTED IN TO RECEIVE TEXTS, THIS IS MOST LIKELY A SCAM.)
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