Disaster scammers target Texas blackout victims
A freezing winter storm passed through Texas and parts of the Midwest over the weekend, straining parts of the state’s electricity grid to the point of blackouts. But with many Texans struggling to heat their homes, disaster scammers have reportedly been taking advantage of the disaster to try to steal account info.
In a tweet on Tuesday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, warned followers that social media scammers were posing as electricity workers and asking people to text them their private account numbers.
“Don’t do it!” the company said in a tweet. “We don’t need any of your info to get your power back on — we are working as fast as we possibly can.”
There is a scam circulating on social media asking customers to text their private account numbers. Don’t do it! We don’t need any of your info to get your power back on – we are working as fast as we possibly can.
— ERCOT (@ERCOT_ISO) February 16, 2021
Generally, it’s a bad idea to hand over private information — from account numbers to passwords — over the phone or through text message. Scammers oftentimes make big promises for pieces of information like “how much money you make, how much you owe, or your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number,” according to The Federal Trade Commission. These promises could be anything from getting your electricity turned back on to winning an Amazon gift card.
Disaster scams like these aren’t unusual. After natural disasters, FEMA has warned survivors not to offer personal or financial information over the phone if the person on the other line does not adequately identify themselves as a government employee. Scammers often pose as FEMA or other government employees during disaster situations like this week’s winter storm in Texas.
In order to protect yourself from text, phone, or email scammers, the Federal Communications Commission asks that if an insurance, electric, or government employee calls you asking for money, to hang up on them. Then, call the company on your own before handing over any personal or financial information.
The FCC also asks that survivors verify information in social media posts before making a donation to an organization or on a crowdfunding website like GoFundMe.
A freezing winter storm passed through Texas and parts of the Midwest over the weekend, straining parts of the state’s electricity grid to the point of blackouts. But with many Texans struggling to heat their homes, disaster scammers have reportedly been taking advantage of the disaster to try to steal…
Recent Posts
- Microsoft says it needs games like Hi-Fi Rush the day after killing its studio
- Intel and motherboard makers disagree on how to stabilize your crashing i9 CPU
- Microsoft’s ‘air gapped’ AI is a bot set up to process top-secret info
- Quordle today – hints and answers for Thursday, May 9 (game #836)
- NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Thursday, May 9 (game #67)
Archives
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- December 2011