TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – “You forgot to call last night after the bar. I really hoped we would have a spicy night.”
That text message is the latest phone scam being seen in Florida, according to Attorney General Ashley Moody.
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The AG’s office said the message is commonly referred to as a wrong number text scam, and it is warning Floridians not to respond to the message.
Moody’s office said the message has been seen in Charlotte County, but other messages like this one have been seen across the country:
“Hello, are you John? It’s Amanda. We chatted on Tinder before when I came to visit my cousin but we never met IRL. I’m back in town if you want to meet up this time, are you free?”
When a person responds to the text, they may then get inappropriate pictures or phishing links. Moody said the scammers are trying to get people to download malware onto their phones, or give up personal information.
Moody’s office said Floridians:
- Should not respond to the message, because doing so alerts the scammer that the phone number is active, which means scammers will text and call more frequently
- Do not click on any links sent from an unknown sender
- Block the number and delete the message
- Never send any personal or financial information