Sheriff Warns That Scammers Text Fake Death Notices

Just when you thought telephone scammers couldn't get any lower, they surprise you with something like this:

Johnson County sheriff's officials received a report of a phony text message on Monday (Oct. 15, 2018). The sender claimed to be with the county medical examiner's office. The message stated that an identified family member had passed away.

The sender then instructs the victim to reply to the text message, which would have made her phone vulnerable, and installed malware, making her phone and all the information on it, available to a hacker.

The text message includes an old address for the medical examiner, and a fake phone number.

Authorities note that neither the medical examiner or the sheriff's office would deliver a death notification by text message.

If you do receive a suspicious text or email, do not reply or click on the content of the message: just delete it.