Text message offers gift card to Target, Walmart, Best Buy

Just as the holiday season gets under way, a text message scam is showing up on thousands of cellphones telling people they have won a $ 1,000 gift card for Target.

At first sight, the text message looked too good to be true.

"It's Christmas time," Patricia Bradley told our Scripps sister station KGTV. "People really hope and pray for $1,000 gift card. That'd be great."

However, it turned out to be a scam.

Bradley received a text message saying she was the winner of a recent contest and was getting a $1,000 gift card to Target.

9 News has reported over the past year about similar texts hitting cellphones in Cincinnati claiming you have won a gift card to Best Buy or Walmart.

How it Works

Bradley became suspicious because she never entered a contest, so she decided to ignore the text's instructions directing her to a website.

Authorities say that is exactly what TargetContests.com wants.  After unsuspecting victims enter the offer code in the text message, they are asked for their email, address and date of birth.

Then they see page after page of offers to buy things, but no Target gift card.

Target, like Best Buy and Walmart, says it is not offering prizes via text messages and is trying to get to the bottom of it.

The Better Business Bureau says this bogus gift card offer is hitting cellphones and smartphones nationwide. Their best advice is to delete the text message.

As always, don't waste your money.

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