A Phone Scam That Starts With a ‘Hi’ is Robbing People Blind in Texas

Thieves are awful people in Texas. They will do any and everything to find a way to break into your home or into your car in the hopes of coming away with a big haul. Some thieves, however, don't have to break into your home or car to steal. Some can be very tricky buy offering a great deal or a nice gift. Some could start off their crime with a simple text message that says "Hi." After that initial contact, it will turn into a rabbit hole of dialogue that could turn into losing a large amount of your hard earned money. Learn more about this scam and how to avoid becoming a victim.

"Hi" Text Message Scam

This scam starts with the scammer sending a simple text message to you, the hopeful victim. The message will simply say "Hi." If you respond, the scammer will go into some small talk to hopefully build a rapport with you. Eventually, the scammer will "reveal" that they are some kind of company executive that lives a very lavish lifestyle. They'll eventually turn this small talk into flirting and escalate it to a point that you may feel like you're in a legitimate relationship.

The scammer will get to the point of being able to "teach" you how to trade cryptocurrency (which is kind of a scam in itself) or foreign currency. The thing is, these "trades" are being made in a made up market. It'll look like you've made some substantial profits when in reality, its all been a game.

When you get to the point that you want to withdraw some of the money you've "made," the scammer will shut down the platform you have been using to make those very "profitable" trades and turn it around to say that you owe the scammer money. A threat of law enforcement or government punishment is most likely used to scare you into paying the money (nbcdfw.com).

Don't Fall for This Scam

All of this simply for replying to a random text message with a sweet greeting of "Hi." The best way to avoid becoming a victim is to not reply to that unwanted text message. If you do receive a text message like that, contact your local authorities so they can get the word out to the rest of the area then delete it.

READ MORE: The Closest Modern H-E-B to East Texas Will Officially Break Ground Soon

READ MORE: Newbies to Texas in for a Rude Awakening if They Don't Learn This One Thing