Yippee, I won $1,000 - - Not!!!

Oh, boy. Tonight I received a text message that I had won a $1,000 Best Buy Gift Card.

Why should I be suspicious? The text was from Best Buy.

Or was it? The text was from www.bestbuyprizes.net and directed me to that website to enter a code and claim my $1,000 Gift Card.

Ever hear of smishing?

It is defined on BestBuy's website (www.bestbuy.com) in the Privacy Notice. It's like "phishing" but utilizes a text message, rather than an email. BestBuy knows about these scams and already has the warnings posted on its website.

I was extra cautious, because six weeks ago I made a purchase in a BestBuy store in Annapolis, and the same day my Discover Card was used for three fraudulent purchases - two online dating sites and one escort service in New York City.

The lesson? Watch your credit card statements carefully and question all unknown charges.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.