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(The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jan. 24-- Pittsburgh police investigators warned cell phone customers Friday about a text-messaging scam that they say is reaching "epidemic" proportions nationwide.

People are receiving text messages as part of a phishing scam, in which victims are asked for their bank account numbers and PINs, said Detective Christopher Jordan of the Computer Crimes Unit.

The scam affects Sprint cell-phone customers and involves dozens of banks, police said.

A typical text message might read: "This is an automatic message from Star Bank. Your ATM card has been deactivated, and it is urgent that you call the following number."

Those who send a text message to the number included in the phishing-scam text typically receive a return text asking for bank account and PIN information, Jordan said. Those who call the phone number, usually a 1-800 number, would be prompted to enter personal banking information through an automated system.

The numbers included in the scam texts are "spoofed," Jordan said, easily created using computer software.

"You basically call or text someone from your phone and your number, but this software makes it so that another number appears on the caller ID," Jordan said. "We haven't been able to trace or track these numbers."

Four victims surfaced locally in the past week, but Jordan said none returned text messages or divulged personal information.

"We want to get the word out because young kids who text a lot, or maybe older people who aren't that familiar with technology, might have received a cell phone for the holidays and might just automatically return a text message," Jordan said. "We want people to be careful."

Banks typically don't contact customers via text message to address a problem with an account, city police spokeswoman Diane Richard said. Banks, instead, call customers directly.

Phishing scams are common in e-mail accounts but have surfaced on cell phones in the past two years. The phishing scam on Sprint cells phones have affected customers in dozens of states, including New York, Michigan, Missouri and Texas, police said.

Anyone who receives a suspicious text message should ignore it and contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at

Code

 www.ic3.gov

or call the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection at 1-717-7879707.