N.C. attorney general warns of scammers claiming to be banks

N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper's office sent out an alert today warning people of scammers who send text messages claiming that a person's bank account or credit card has been blocked.

The texts often contain a phone number. If called, the groups ask for personal information like Social Security Number or bank account number. Cooper's alert notes that banks would not generally reach out to a customer that way if there really was a problem. He cautions never to give out personal information to someone who contacts you.

Cooper says a half-dozen such texts have been reported to his office in the last few days.

There's been some anecdotal evidence that the tactic has been in unusually high use in the Charlotte area recently. The Better Business Bureau of the Southern Piedmont said late last month that it had received a number of similar complaints about text messages purporting to be from Bank of America.