Suffolk police warn of cell phone 'phishing' scams

Scam artists have gone cell phone "phishing," Suffolk County police said.

They're warning area residents not to get hooked.

The scammers send text messages that are "designed to trick potential victims into giving up their personal identifying information," police said.

The texts usually claim to be from financial institutions, but sometimes state they have been sent by government agencies or other merchants.

Police said the scams have one thing in common: They inform the recipient that they need to supply information to update databases, recover information from computer system crashes or remedy other problems with the victim's accounts.

Police warned that you should never reveal personal information to anyone who has made unsolicited contact by phone, e-mail or text message.

"To prevent becoming a victim of a scam, the Identity Theft Unit recommends residents verify any request through independent means before releasing any of your personal information. Call the local office of the government agency or business through a publicly listed or verified phone number," police said, "to verify that the caller and any request for personal information is legitimate and is actually required. Financial institutions will not request account information through these unsolicited communications."

To get more information on these scams - or, any other theft prevention suggestions - contact the police department website at www.suffolkpd.org and click on ID Theft Unit.