Contact 6: Putting a stop to text messaging scams

MILWAUKEE - Ever get a text message saying you've won a free gift card to a big box store? FOX6's Contact 6 says, beware!

This is the time of year when everyone seems to be magically winning free gift cards to Best Buy, Target and Walmart.  A text message asks consumers to click a link to redeem a prize, and enter a PIN number or code to claim the card.

However, the link leads to a form to fill out personal information, and usually ends up with nothing more than a credit card application for some company alternative to the big box store originally mentioned.

The Better Business Bureau says this is nothing more than a classic method, used by shady advertisers, to collect sensitive information.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE COMPLETE ALERT FROM THE BBB

Stop those texts by forwarding the message to 7726 - that spells "SPAM," and it alerts the cell phone carrier to block all future text messages from that number.

Do not text "STOP" or "NO" to prevent future texts - it's just another ploy by scammers to confirm that they have a real, active cell phone number.

Remember, if you suddenly get a $1,000 gift card to a big box store and you've never signed up to win one, it's probably too good to be true.