Illinois warns residents of texting scams
CHICAGO - On Thursday, Attorney General Kwame Raoul urged Illinois residents to be on alert for text message scams that appear to be coming from state government agencies.
Raoul said residents should not open any links or respond to the scam texts.
In some instances, the texts were telling residents they must validate their driver’s license information by clicking a provided link.
"People should know that government agencies will not request sensitive personal information via unsolicited text messages," Raoul said in a statement. "If you receive such a message – even if the phone number appears to be local – do not respond. If you are unsure about whether the request is legitimate, contact the agency in question using information from the agency’s official website."
To protect themselves, Raoul is encouraging residents to take the following steps:
- Do not share your phone number unless you are sharing it with a person or organization you know well. Use caution when providing your cellphone number or other information in response to pop-up advertisements and "free trial" offers. This personal information can be easily bought, sold, and traded, and make you a target.
- Do not act immediately. Smishing scams attempt to create a false sense of urgency by implying that an immediate response is required, or that there is a limited time to respond. Take time to verify the sender’s identity, and ask yourself why the sender is asking for your information.
- Keep software up to date, including on cellphones, to help avoid viruses placed by scammers.
Illinois residents can report scam texts by copying the original message and forwarding it to 7726 (SPAM) – free of charge. Residents can also report a scam text by visiting the Federal Communications Commission’s website or calling 888-225-5322.