New Phone Scam is Targeting Michigan Teens

There's something justifiably inhumane about people whose sole job is to scam people out of money. And no, I'm not talking about any kind of corporate greed, or stolen wages unfortunately. No, these people are particularly heinous, because they tend to target older people who just don't understand what's happening.

But now, scammers seem to be targeting a younger generation, and a new scam has been going around in Michigan that has already taken thousands of dollars from Michigan teens, and it's all through text messages sent directly to their phones.

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If you've noticed an influx of calls and messages from scammers lately, you're not alone. These call centers and scamming centers based in other countries are at it again, spam calling people in the U.S. and trying to take our money.

Lately, though, their preferred method has been through a new text campaign, targeting teens, that claims there's a problem with their account.

Potential victims have been receiving direct messages on their phones, with a link provided, that will allegedly help solve any issues. The issue is, that link isn't to their bank, but rather a phishing site that will scan the device for any information it can, and steal it... INCLUDING bank account information.

But unfortunately, some people have clicked on the link, and even provided information about their bank that allows even more access to scammers to your personal data. And in the case of some teens, it's also provided data regarding their parents information as well.

Local authorities are asking people to be vigilant in not clicking on unfamiliar links, and if there ARE any questions, to contact your bank directly.

Things to look out for on these scamming messages include a sender who uses a 10-digit number, and a url (website link) that has additional characters at the end. Something else to consider as well - banks will never ask for all of your account information in a text, only "yes" or "no" questions.

Officials also ask parents to speak with their children about the possibility of being scammed on their phones, and to be cautious about any suspicious calls or messages.