If you’re like a lot of Americans, you spend a lot of time deleting scam text messages from your phone. Fraud attacks always spike during the holidays and, according to the call-blocking service Robokiller, scam texts now outnumber fraudulent phone calls. Criminals make scam texts look like legitimate. So here’s some guidance on how to recognize fraudulent text messages. Federal government agencies do not conduct business by text, so that text from the IRS is a fake. Think twice when receiving a text message that instills fear or urgency – these are core fraud tactics. If the message makes you concerned there’s a problem, say with your bank account, utility payments, or retailer account, contact the source in a manner you know to be legitimate rather than clicking the link or calling a number provided in the message.

Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.