MATTHEWS, N.C. — Multiple law enforcement agencies issued warnings this week about T-shirt scams online.
The Matthews Police Department is among the agencies bringing the new scam to light, telling users to ignore any text messages or emails about a discount on Matthews police T-shirts.
The scam messages will include a link to take users to a website promoting the shirts at a discount. Matthews police said the link is a phishing scam attempt and encouraged people to not click it.
Similar scams were reported in Cary, Garner, Roxboro and Dunn in North Carolina. The sheriff's office in Carteret County also posted a warning about the T-shirt scam.
The Dunn Police Department posted a photo of what the text messages and website associated with the scam look like.
Tips to avoid becoming a victim of a scam:
Emotional appeal
Any pitch that ratchets up your emotion will inhibit your rational judgment.Sense of urgency
You MUST act now, or else.Request for unorthodox payment
Gift cards, prepaid credit cards, wire transfers, etc.Explanations that don't ring true
If your new “landlord” can’t show you the inside of the house, that could be because they don’t own it.You won, now pay up
It’s not a prize if you have to pay for it. Taxes, fees, shipping, whatever.Too good to be true
That’s because it’s not true. Sorry, your long-lost relative didn’t die, leaving you millions. That car you bought online for a third of its Kelly Blue Book value doesn’t really exist. The son of a billionaire diamond broker didn’t “swipe right” on you and fall instantly in love. That work-at-home job paying you hundreds of dollars an hour for stuffing envelopes isn’t real.