Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has issued a strong warning to residents of the state, urging them to be cautious of scammers employing unsolicited email and text messages to deceive consumers into sharing personal and financial information. Raoul emphasized the importance of staying vigilant against these unsolicited messages and encouraged individuals to report such incidents to his office for further investigation.
These unsolicited messages often take the form of email or text message scams. Email scams usually involves scammers sending deceptive emails, tricking recipients into divulging personal or confidential information. Similarly, Text message scamming is a method where scammers send deceptive text messages to dupe cell phone users in the same manner. These fraudulent messages may contain harmful links or software that can compromise personal information stored on phones or computers. Raoul's office has advised consumers to refrain from clicking on any links in unsolicited emails or texts and to delete such messages immediately.
Attorney General Raoul emphasized that consumers should exercise caution when confronted with unsolicited emails or text messages that request personal or financial information. He stated, "Government agencies will not request sensitive personal information via an email or text message." Raoul warned against responding to these messages, even if the phone number appears to be local or the email address seems familiar. In case of suspicion, he advised reaching out to the relevant business or agency through their official website's contact information.
To assist consumers in safeguarding themselves against scammers, Raoul provided a set of tips to follow. These include refraining from sharing personal or financial information unless the recipient is known and the purpose is clear, being cautious of suspicious contacts and verifying their legitimacy through official websites, refraining from immediate action in response to urgent requests, avoiding opening links or attachments from unsolicited messages, not responding to suspicious text messages, reporting suspicious emails or text messages to appropriate authorities, and promptly blocking senders and deleting messages after reporting.
By remaining cautious and adopting these recommended measures, consumers can protect themselves from falling victim to unsolicited email and text scams, thereby ensuring their personal and financial information remains secure.
If you believe you have been the victim of identity theft or other fraud, Raoul encourages you to file a complaint on the Attorney General's website, review the identity theft online resources and call Raoul's toll-free Identity Theft Hotline at 866-999-5630.
