In the days following a significant Verizon Wireless service interruption, a scam has emerged preying on customers hoping to receive a promised outage credit. The Jones County Sheriff's Office in Georgia has issued an alert about fraudulent communications masquerading as official Verizon correspondence, as reported by FOX5 Atlanta. The scam involves text messages and emails that entice users with links to claim their compensation, but these links are, in fact, traps set to procure private information or to dispense malware.
While nearly 180,000 customers felt the sting of the outage last Wednesday, the scammers' messages looked like an easy salve with the offer of a $20 credit. But deputies warn, as per the WSB-TV report, that these messages are false and not a legitimate means of receiving the credit that Verizon indeed confirmed it would be providing to affected customers.
Underneath the guise of assistance, the emails and texts circulating falsely promise rewards but are a vector for theft and technological infection. "Do NOT click the link. This is a scam designed to steal your personal info, account details, or infect your device with malware," the Jones County Sheriff's Office cautioned in a Facebook post, debunking the notion that too-good-to-be-true offers usually are anything but a scam, as noted by WSB-TV.
For those who received suspicious messages, the sheriff offers clear guidance: avoid following any unsolicited links or offers. Instead, customers should directly navigate to the My Verizon app or visit Verizon's official website. "Legit companies like Verizon will not send unsolicited links promising free credits," the sheriff's office advised customers, as mentioned by WSB-TV. If you're unsure about the authenticity of such a message, the office also suggests contacting Verizon customer support as a secondary measure to ensure the credit's validity.
Verizon Wireless confirmed it will issue a $20 account credit to customers affected by the outage, but only through official channels such as its app. Customers are urged to ignore and delete any unsolicited messages claiming to offer Verizon credits to protect their personal and account information.
