Scam Alert: FedEx, Amazon And Texting

I'm not sure this is the latest thing or not.  It's hard to keep up with all the scams.  Lately around here it's been email fishing and virus planting and the perpetrators are getting very very clever.  Along with that are the phone numbers that appear to be local making you want to answer and then you find out they're not.  It's a lot to keep up with.  Now the scamming is moving into the world of texting and involving some big companies.

According to an article I saw on howtogeek.com, this new texting scam disguises itself as a delivery notification from companies like Amazon and FedEx.  Within the text, there will be a link that takes you to a fake Amazon page that offers you to take a "free survey". The survey will then ask for your credit card information to pay for shipping, and it will automatically sign you up to receive a product each month with a charge of $98.95.  Of course, one of the easy ways to detect this scam is to note what is said in the address bar of the web page.  For example, if the web address has Amazon or FedEx in the name, it is likely OK.  However, if it doesn't note the companies and displays a web page claiming to be one of those companies, it is likely a scam.