State officials warn of texting scam

Talk about it

It might sound believable, considering the credit crunch. But authorities say it’s a scam if you get a text message claiming your debit or credit card has been suspended.

Brown County sheriff’s deputies said at least two people were victimized last week.

The text messages give a phone number where people are supposed to give their account numbers and other personal data and within 24 hours, they noticed money stolen from those accounts.

Lt. Ken White says the scammers will often start small, just to make sure an account is for real and they’ll then work on cleaning it out.

One person lost what was said to be a $1 transaction fee before calling authorities. Others said they ignored the text messages, and they called Brown County officers and Green Bay Police to say it was happening.

White says the scammers are merely fishing for victims and the best advice is to ignore the text messages. He says if a bank really wants to notify you, they’ll send a letter.

Tags: wisconsin news, texting, scam