If you're the type of person who likes to travel, you know the importance of having an emergency kit in your car.
But AAA — an organization serving more than 60 million people — is warning members about fraudulent emails and text messages claiming you qualify for a free emergency kit.
Kayaking guide says it looks legit
Henry Dorfman is a kayaking guide who drives across the country, and puts 20,000 miles a year on his truck.
So an email offering up a free AAA car emergency kit was appealing.
"They say take the survey, and we're going to send you this big auto emergency kit you can carry in your trunk," he said.
So Dorfman wasted no time taking the survey, and at the end gave his credit card information to cover postage. It seemed like it was all on the up-and-up.
But, he says, "it gave me an error message that the card didn't work, so I tried another card."
His second card, however, resulted in a second error message.
At that point, Dorfman says he inspected the website, and realized the email was not really from AAA.
"The email says it is from AAA customer service," he said. "But if you then drill down, then you find, ehhhh, (it's not)."
We reached out to the auto club, which says it's aware of fraudulent texts and emails, branded as coming from AAA.
Some of its offices are now issuing an alert to members about it.
What to watch for in your inbox
The messages may congratulate you for "winning" a car emergency kit, or say you have an expiring offer for one.
An AAA spokesperson advises recipients not to open or click any links, and to delete these messages immediately.
Using a well-known brand is a common tactic for fraudsters, according to Melanie McGovern with the Better Business Bureau.
"Even the BBB gets spoofed," she said, "because people know and trust national brands."
The Better Business Bureau and AAA suggest you:
- Check email addresses and web addresses for irregular spacing, unusual characters, or URLs that look questionable.
- Never click links in unexpected messages you didn't sign up for.
Dorfman, meantime, found several fraudulent charges on his two credit cards.
He has now had to cancel both his cards and get new ones issued.
"I'm still kicking myself," he said.
He wants to warn others so they don't fall for a very slick phishing message.
As always, don't waste your money.
_______________________________________
FULL AAA STATEMENT:
"AAA is aware of fraudulent emails or SMS text messages branded as AAA that have been sent to recipients congratulating them on "winning" or having an "expiring offer for a car emergency kit." AAA did not send these emails and advises anyone who receives them not to open or click on any links in these emails or texts and delete them immediately. Stay safe, and remember, AAA will never ask for sensitive information via unsolicited messages."
"Don't Waste Your Money" is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. ("Scripps").
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