PHOENIX — Let's say you get a text from a company you do business with about an overcharge and they want to give you a refund. Do you click and reply?
It's one of the biggest scams going around right now.
Debra got a text message claiming to be from from AT&T stating, "we accidentally overcharged your account."
She also received one from an insurer saying that because of an overcharge, "We owe you $852."
If you click on the links, you're told overcharges are handled through your bank account.
Once you give them remote access, they're able to fake postings and basically do whatever they want. You should never click on unknown links.
Instead, contact the company and see if there are any issues.
Tough times mean money scams, and we are seeing a lot of them.
Harriet contacted Let Joe Know and said she has thousands of dollars that belong to her and a caller told her the money was seized at a checkpoint in Arizona and was waiting for her.
To get it, she was instructed to pay a $1,300 government fee.
She paid the amount and an additional $2,000 when asked, but ended up losing all of it.
There's never money waiting. It's always a scam.
Beth told the ABC15 Let Joe Know team that her sister-in-law sent a Facebook message about free grant money to "get caught up on bills."
Her sister's message says it's legitimate and worth it.
To get $50,000 Beth ended up paying $1,500 for bank clearance fees.
They also asked for her social security and driver's license numbers, which she gave.
Turns out, the Facebook account was hacked.
And, if you hear about grant money to pay bills, it's ALWAYS A SCAM IF YOU HAVE TO PAY TO GET THE MONEY!
The non-profit organization Solari Crisis and Human Services let us know about the 2-1-1 Arizona program that could connect you to legitimate grants. It's a free service that helps people with a variety of needs. BUT, again, you do not have to pay anything to get a grant.
After all of these scams, how about something that looks like one, but may be real?
Annette tells ABC15 that her mother got a $430 check out of the blue from Transform KM LLC.
Normally that would sound like a fake offer. But, we found online that Transform is a business that took over some Sears assets.
Annette realized they had Sears appliance insurance and later found the check was for a reimbursement they never received. It is good!
Big unsolicited checks are usually scams but can also be lawsuit settlement money or refunds. You should check online before doing anything.
If you do deposit the check, don't count on the money until you know it's real. And never send money back.
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