Cheri Kiesecker kindly sent along this news item as a warning for readers.
Kara Apel reports:
A text message that claims you’ve been complimented by a friend can trick you into accessing all of your personal information.
Thousands of people across the county, including hundreds here in the Midstate, have been receiving this message.
The text reads that someone has complimented you through an app, but whatever you do, don’t click the links.
The “IRL” app is real, but tech experts say it can steal almost all of the personal information you have stored on your phone, including your GPS location or photos.
Tech experts say this could lead to the app installing malware on your phone, compromising your entire device.
Source: KXXV. Cheri tells me that she received one of these IRL text messages herself, although from a different phone number than the one shown in a screenshot on KXXV. The phone number will likely change a gadzillion times. But it’s the message, “Someone complimented you. See more on IRL” and the link that should trigger your “don’t click” response.