LINCOLN – Attorney General Doug Peterson is issuing a consumer alert for Nebraskans to be wary of scam text messages. Consumers may be receiving text messages purporting to be from Great Western Bank, warning that their account has been blocked. The message contains a link that opens up a webpage requesting the customer's online banking ID and password. The text and the website may look legitimate, but they are not. This is a fraudulent text message attempting to compromise your online user credentials to gain access to other identifying information. If you receive this unsolicited text message, do not reply or click on the web link and delete it immediately.

The Attorney General’s Office has received numerous reports of this scam from Nebraska consumers, most of whom are Verizon Wireless customers.
Karen Smith, spokeswoman for Verizon Wireless, stated, “Customers should also be aware that they can forward suspected spam messages to 7726, which is a spam database. If Customers have any specific concerns about this incident that they would like to discuss with Verizon Wireless, they may contact Verizon Wireless customer service.”
If you are concerned about the safety of your accounts or clicked on the link in the text message, please contact your local bank immediately. In addition, notification should be filed with the three major credit bureaus – TransUnion, Experian and Equifax.

If you need assistance or additional information on protecting your identity, or would like to file a complaint, please contact the Attorney General’s Office Consumer Protection Division at ago.nebraska.gov or 800-727-6432.

See a screen shot of the text message below.