THOMASTON — The Thomaston Police Department issued a scam alert to local residents, cautioning them against responding to deceptive messages from unknown senders.
The police warn that what may seem like a benign text from a forgetful friend could, in fact, be a ploy by scammers to confirm active phone numbers and collect personal information.
According to authorities, once an individual responds to the fraudulent message, the scammer is alerted to an active number and the potential victim’s name, making them a prime target for further scams.
These subsequent messages may come from various numbers and contain links designed to lead individuals to malicious websites.
The department emphasized that personal information is often the currency of these internet scammers, who may sell harvested details to other criminals both domestically and internationally, aiming to exploit the data for financial gain.
To avoid falling prey to these scams, the police advise residents to exercise caution and not engage with unknown senders.
If a message is received from an unrecognized source, the best course of action is to delete the message and report it as junk.
