Bad guys are taking advantage of two things:
- How busy you are.
- How important your work and career are to you.
By combining these two things into one scam, they are counting on hitting you at a very weak point.
How It Works
The scam starts with a text message. The sender claims to be your boss or an executive at your company asking for your help with an urgent request. They may claim to be stuck in a meeting. They need you to send money through a payment app or purchase some gift cards. They’ll say it needs to be done right away and that you’ll be helping them and the company.
Bad guys know you may fall for this tactic.
What to Do
Be skeptical. Ask yourself, “Would this person really text me and ask for money?”
The answer is likely no.
Don’t reply. Responding to the text just lets the sender know they have an active phone number. It also shows you are willing to interact, which opens you up to more scams.
Check it out. Ask someone else and try to confirm whether the message could be legitimate.
More Information
Our text message scams blog has more information about these types of scams.
If you receive a text message like this, forward it to us. Get step-by-step instruction to report unwanted text messages by following the link.
In some cases, they may also call you. If that happens, you can report it and other suspicious phone calls to our Fraud Department here.