Disaster scammers target Texas blackout victims

A freezing winter storm passed through Texas and parts of the Midwest over the weekend, straining parts of the state’s electricity grid to the point of blackouts. But with many Texans struggling to heat their homes, disaster scammers have reportedly been taking advantage of the disaster to try to steal account info.

In a tweet on Tuesday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, warned followers that social media scammers were posing as electricity workers and asking people to text them their private account numbers.

“Don’t do it!” the company said in a tweet. “We don’t need any of your info to get your power back on — we are working as fast as we possibly can.”

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