Rhode Island

RI Officials Warn Residents of COVID Text Message Scam

The link in the scam text messages takes consumers to a web page that looks like an official Rhode Island Department of State page

NBC News

Rhode Island officials are warning residents of a text message scam. The texts claim to be from the Rhode Island Department of State and encourage the recipients to sign up for a "COVID-19 Safe Drive to Work'' program, according to a statement from Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea and Attorney General Peter Neronha.

The program does not exist, and the text messages are not from the Rhode Island Department of State. Anyone who receives these scam messages should not click any links or reply to the message, they said, and instead should contact the attorney general's Consumer Protection Unit at 401-274-4400 or consumers(at)riag.ri.gov.

The link in the scam text messages takes consumers to a web page that looks like an official Rhode Island Department of State page, even including Gorbea's photo. Residents are then asked to provide some personal information. No information should be entered, Gorbea and Neronha said.

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