Illinois Secretary of State Says Beware of Scam Text Messages

Shady text messages are definitely nothing new, but the amount Illinois residents are receiving on a daily basis is growing at an alarming rate.

We've been warned about text scams disguising themselves as urgent messages from Netflix, Amazon, FedEx etc., but the new scam preying on Illinoisans has one very specific goal...to steal your social security number.

What Do I Need to Be Watching Out For?

Mystateline.com says;

The Illinois Secretary of State is issuing a warning after residents reported receiving scam text messages from the DMV. Criminals are looking to get their hands on your Social Security Number.

Experts believe this rise in text scams has a lot to do with the oversharing people have been doing during the pandemic. Simply put, our fears and concerns are heightened, and this has caused us to "fall" more quickly for urgent-sounding matters/scams and to share more than we should with strangers on social media.

Most people have gotten pretty good detecting email scams and all the red flags that come along with them, but too often that is not the case when it comes to text scams. Before you ever consider clicking a link in a text from an unknown sender, stop, think, and delete.

Mystateline.com's article quotes Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White saying;

scammers are sending unsolicited texts and emails which appear to have official logos and mastheads from his office.

If you receive a similar text in the upcoming days, please remember one very important thing; the Illinois Secretary of State will NEVER ask personal information via text or email.

Don't give scammers the chance to steal your identity, delete that mess as soon as you get it.