‘Love to See You’ Text Scam Confirmed in Louisiana

(KMDL-FM) It used to be that if you wanted to be assaulted by a stranger who demanded to know your phone number and personal address, you'd have to be shopping at a Radio Shack Store. If you know, you know. However, these days, you don't have to visit any Tandy Corporation to have a total stranger attempt to gain access to your personal details; they're doing that every day via phone text scams.

The most recent scam message that I received on my phone came from a number that showed an area code of 647. If you're not up on your area code/location matching, I will tell you those are the numbers assigned to telephones in Toronto and Ontario, Canada.

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The "off" area code was my first red flag. The second red flag was the message. If you look below, here is a screen cap of the message that was sent to my phone on Monday.

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The scammer was hoping I would be curious enough to see who might be in Louisiana and who might be wanting to see me. I wasn't. As I mentioned, the unknown area code and unidentified caller are major red flags.

What Are the Red Flags of the "Love to See You Soon" Scam?

Someone who would be willing to travel to see me, I would probably have their contact information saved, right? The fact that the message is just vague in general is another off-putting fact.

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Of course, in my world, I have one other ace in the hole, the only people who would qualify for "love to see you" status already live in Louisiana, and they see me enough so they wouldn't be sending this.

Why Do Scammers Send Vague Text Messages to Their Potential Victims?

The main reason scammers send messages like this is to see if they can get a response from you. Any response, a reply, a "new phone who dis" message, all let the scammers know the phone is active and connected.

The familiar sense of the message is meant to evoke feelings of confidence that you're dealing with someone who knows you. And the details of my home state, Louisiana, are also used to convince me that this text is on the up and up.

The scammers are good; you have to be better. So when you get texts like these, don't let your natural curiosity get the best of you. If the person who sent the text is legitimate, they'll reach out in another way. But unless and until you are sure who you are talking to, do not reply or call the number. Your best bet is to simply delete it.