CHARLOTTE — Ellen Little was wearing a shirt that read, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” And she’s trying to do just that by warning consumers about impostors pretending to be with AAA.
“I thought, well, [Action 9 attorney Jason Stoogenke] tells people [how to protect themselves],” she told Stoogenke.
She checked her email and found one that read: “Congratulations! You Qualify for Enhanced Roadside Support.” More specifically, it offered a free emergency kit.
“It listed some wonderful things. And if [they were] free, it is [wonderful],” she said.
The so-called “bundle” included a flashlight, jumper cables, ice scraper, and more.
Little says she received two more emails over the next month or so. All three times, all she had to do was click a link. This is a phishing scam, designed to get your personal information and, then, money.
“They don’t care what they’re doing because they just want to get rich quick,” Little added.
AAA is aware of the con and told Action 9 they’ve been warning members: “We are aware of fraudulent emails or SMS text messages branded as AAA that have been sent to recipients congratulating them on ‘winning’ or offering an ‘expiring car emergency kit.’ Over the past several months, we have communicated with our members about these scams, which are unfortunately common across many organizations. AAA did not send these messages and advises anyone who receives them not to open or click on any links and to delete them immediately. AAA will never ask for sensitive information via unsolicited messages.”
AAA has about 60 million members, so chances are you may be one of them and think the con is real. Little is a member, but didn’t bite.
Stoogenke has the following tips:
- Usually, scammers spell things wrong or format messages poorly. But these texts and emails look crisp and clean. So these are more convincing than many impostor scams.
- Bottom line: don’t click the link.
- Not sure? Reach out to AAA directly. That goes for any impostor scam: if someone says you missed jury duty or owe the IRS, check on your own. Don’t trust the phone number or email address the message came from. Look it up yourself.
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