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North Carolina police are warning residents to be wary of a new online scam aimed at stealing personal information.
According to WCNC, multiple law enforcement agencies around the state have issued warnings about a scam "selling" discounted police department T-shirts online. The Matthews Police Department has warned anyone who has received a text message or email about a discounted on T-shirts promoting the department to ignore the messages.
In a post on the department's official Facebook page on Sunday (July 3), MPD said the scam includes an attached link that is actually a phishing scam meant to access personal information from those who click the link. Similarly, the City of Dunn Police Department shared its own note of warning telling the public not to click the link, adding a photo of the proposed T-shirt and a screenshot of what the text message may look like, which can be seen here.
"We are aware of a text message that is going around with a link advertising $10 off a Dunn Police Department t-shirt. Please do not click on the link as it is a scam," the department wrote in a post on its Facebook page. "The Dunn Police Department does not have any shirts for sale other than our Special Olympic Torch Run shirts which can be purchased in person at an event or at the police department. The same scam is happening to several other local police agencies as well so please be aware of any suspicious messages regarding items for sale."
In addition to Dunn and Matthews PD, similar scams have been reported in Cary, Garner, Roxboro, Dunn as well as the Carteret County Sheriff's Office.