Huntington, WV (WOAY) The Huntington Police Department is alerting the public to an ongoing utility text message scam.
According to a media release, authorities have received reports of residents getting text messages from their utility providers stating there is an expected power outage in their area due to freezing temperatures.
The message includes a link that supposedly goes to the outage map, showing the impacted areas, but police say don’t be fooled.
The message is a part of what is called a smishing scam, which involves sending text messages posing as a legitimate company to lure individuals intto reveal personal information.
Clicking the link could result in malware on your devices or being automatically directed to a fake website asking for your information.
The Huntington Police Department urges the community to always visit their utility provider’s official website or mobile app to check for outages.
Authorities also remind the public that scammers tend to use fear tactics to trick people into selecting links or acting quickly, but you should always stop and think before taking action.Â
Finally, police say that real utility companies will not send you a text with a clickable link and communicate outage information using official channels.
