New scams are being reported in central and west central Illinois this week.
A text message scam has been happening in the area, this time the text appears as a delivery notification from companies such as Fed Ex or Amazon alerting the receiver that they have a package and need to set a preference for the delivery by clicking a link in message.
WAND TV reports that the link takes the user to a fraudulent Amazon page which asks for a survey to be completed with an offer to choose a free gift upon completion.
The link requests personal information to be entered including name, phone number, address and credit card information, which then automatically signs the account up to a receive a product each month at a cost of $98.95.
The public is being urged to block the number from phones when receiving this message. If the URL in the message does not contain the company name that it is supposedly from, then it is almost certainly a scam.
Meanwhile WICS in Springfield is reporting that The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about a new phone scam.
Scammers are calling people using the names of Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office employees and demanding money for sex offender registration or a warrant.
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office says the calls have been coming from the number (217) 296-3277.
Sheriff’s Office Officials say if you receive a call from this number, do not answer it and do not return the call.