Sheriff warns of text message scam

Phishing ploy involves impersonating office

Scammers pretending to be part of the Columbia County Sheriff ’s Office sent a mass text message Friday as part of a phishing swindle.

The texts — from the 518 area code — greet those receiving them by their first name, then offer them $10 off a Columbia County Sheriff ’s Office T-shirt if they click on a link.

Columbia County Sheriff ’s Capt. Kevin Skype said he could not put a number on how many people received the text, and he was unaware of anyone who had yet fallen for the scam.

He was unsure of what happened once the link was clicked, but suspected it was a phishing scam.

Phishing scammers contact people online often while masquerading as someone the intended victim knows or would trust in an attempt to gather additional information that can be used to steal from or defraud the individual.

“They’re going to entice people who do click on the link to provide information — date of birth, Social Security number — that’s where they’re heading with this,” Skype said.

The scam follows the discovery of a similar scheme Thursday, wherein county residents received texts claiming to be from the U.S. Postal Service. The texts claim a package has “arrived” and that it will be returned if the receiver does not update their shipping information by clicking on a link, according to screenshots posted by the Sheriff ’s Office.

It was not known if the two scams were hatched by the same people, according to Skype.

Like other phishing scams, the 518 numbers could have been fake numbers automatically generated online, Skype said.

He also warned about other scams, recommending residents lookout for anyone contacting them asking them to buy a gift card, and to never click on links texted from unfamiliar phone numbers.

If you have a question, or if you’ve been a victim of a scam, contact your local sheriff ’s office, state police, or local police department.