Scammers are blasting out phony text messages across Kansas City that claim there is a gas leak and urge people to evacuate or otherwise take immediate action, according to the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities. BPU says the messages are not from the utility and is warning customers to treat any unexpected text like this as a big red flag.
Real safety alerts, officials stressed, come through verified BPU channels and should always be double-checked before anyone clicks, calls or lets a stranger near their personal info.
As reported by KMBC, the bogus texts typically claim there is an immediate danger and pressure the recipient to act quickly; KMBC also warns recipients not to reply to or click links in suspicious messages. According to BPU, legitimate BPU texts are sent only from the short code 80213. Customers are urged to save that number in their contacts and to call BPU Customer Care at 913-573-9190 if they have any doubts.
How the scam operates
The playbook is familiar. Scammers lean on urgent language, try to mimic official formatting and make the text look like a real safety alert. From there, they funnel people to phishing websites or phone numbers designed to steal personal details and payment information…