THOMASTON — As the holiday season approaches, the Thomaston Police Department is warning residents about an increase in scam attempts aimed at swindling locals out of their money.
Authorities have identified a new scam circulating via text messages that appear to come from international numbers, particularly with the country code 63, which is assigned to the Philippines.
These messages often contain hyperlinks that do not lead to legitimate United States Postal Service websites, a telltale sign of fraudulent activity.
The department advises the community to exercise caution with their personal information and to be skeptical of unsolicited messages asking for a response.
Responding to such texts may confirm to scammers that the phone number is active, potentially leading to further attempts at stealing data or infecting devices with malware.
Officials remind residents that when they have doubts about the authenticity of a request for personal information, the safest action is to refrain from providing it.
