POSTED: Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 10:26am
UPDATED: Monday, January 21, 2013 - 11:03am
NATIONAL - For Walmart shoppers, it appears to be a text message from heaven. "You have been selected for a $1,000 Walmart gift card. ENTER CODE: 'FREE' "
Regulars know that on receipts, Walmart asks shoppers to fill out a survey for a chance to win a thousand dollar gift card. What's more, this text message gives a Webs address with Walmart.com in it along with some additional letters. Similar offers appear in text messages from other cell numbers and referring you to diff rent websites but not Walmartstores.com the company's true web address. It's the latest wave of a barrage that last month prompted Walmart to denounce the text messages as "SCAMS" calling them "SMISHING", the texting version of phishing. So who is behind the text messages, and what do they want? Clicking on one of the texted links took us to the Website of MyMaxSavingsClub.com, which requested some personal information, including birth date, email address, and phone number, as well as some marketing survey questions. Then it gave an 800 number to call for an "Authentication Code" to claim the gift. He said, no, he just works at the call center in Deerfield, Florida, but would pass on my information. Turns out the Web name MyMaxSavingsClub.com is registered through a web security company that shields the identity of the owner.