Law enforcement agencies warn against scanning codes in fraudulent messages.
) - Law enforcement agencies across Alabama are warning residents about a text messaging scam claiming recipients have traffic violations in Jefferson County . The texts ask people to scan a QR code to pay a fine, but authorities say the messages are fraudulent attempts to steal personal information or money.
Carl Bates with the Better Business Bureau said scammers send thousands of identical messages hoping to catch at least one victim.
“They send out thousands of text messages and one percent of people respond and give their credit card or make a payment, it’s a pretty good payday for the scammer,” Bates said. These fake traffic violation texts target Alabama residents with a QR code scam. *In the image above, WBRC pixelated the QR code so you wouldn't accidentally pull up the scam link. Bates said this scam has been popular in north Alabama.
He said scammers are trying to confuse those who receive the text.
“The reality is the scammers are always gonna try to do it in places you’re not familiar with. So putting it out in north Alabama to thousands of people who really have no connection to Jefferson County, like the likelihood of someone checking with the Jefferson County sheriffs to see if it’s legit or not is very low,” Bates said.
“When you scan that QR code, a couple of things could happen. It could be taking you to something, asking you to make a payment. It could also be downloading malware to your phone or your tablet that you’re scanning it from,” Bates said.
“Any time you see something either on social media or as a text message, even an email, you need to be very suspicious of it because that is just not the way any government agency is going to communicate with those of us in the general public,” Bates said. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office posted a warning about text messaging scams on Facebook this week. The office said residents can report scams to their agency.
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Text Message Text Message Scam Alabama Alabama Residents Qr Code Scam Wbrc Myfoxal News North Alabama Jefferson County Fake Carl Bates Bbb Better Business Bureau Scammer Payday
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