Scam Alert: WalMart Is NOT Giving Away $1K Gift Cards!

'Tis the season to be jolly, not to be scammed!

I got a text message earlier today and you might have gotten it too. Here's a screenshot:

It might seem legit, but it's definitely a scam. If you receive this text, DO NOT click the link. According to CBS, the link will either infect your phone with a virus or take you to a site that will try to steal your identity. The CBS story also says that while WalMart does give $1000 gift cards to people who complete surveys, they would only notify the winner via certified mail and that this is an old scam from back in 2012.

There are a lot of scams going on at this time of year, including fake charities, phony classified listings, cloned websites, and disappearing packages. You can learn more about these and other scams here as well as how to protect yourself.