Hunter
08/31/24
Cedar Rapids mayor Tiffany O’Donnell says one of her colleagues got a text message from someone pretending to be her.
O’Donnell posted the fake text on Facebook. It read, “Hi Morgan, I’m in a conference right now, can’t talk now on phone, but let me know if you get my text. Thanks Tiffany O’Donnell.”
She said, “Now we have to worry about fake texts? Phone calls with our voice? The world we live in.”
The fake texts come as area cities and towns deal with the same issue. A post on the official City of Swisher Facebook page indicates members of the public have received text messages asking them to take a two-minute survey about the city. Swisher officials say while they do occasionally conduct surveys, they will always be posted to the city’s Facebook page to show they are legitimate. Those who receive the scam text should not click on the link. The city of Oxford has a similar warning on its Facebook page. Earlier this week, Tiffin officials warned of a similar text scam purporting to be conducting a survey on that city.
KCRG TV reports Cyber security experts at ProCircular in Coralville say this scam is becoming as common as a spam email. Chief Information Security Officer Brandon Blankenship advises users to stick to basics when getting a text that seems a little off, refraining from paying bills for something you didn’t buy, purchasing gift cards or making a wire transfer without thoroughly checking the source.