Val Verde County warns residents about harder-to-spot AI scam texts

A text promising expiring reward points can seem ordinary at first glance, but Val Verde County used its April 7 newsletter to warn that these messages are now getting harder to spot because scammers are using AI to make them sound polished, urgent and believable.

The county’s notice, titled Newsletter regarding AI Scams!, appeared on the county website as part of its April 2026 news items. It lands as a local consumer-protection warning, but it is also a sign of a much larger fraud problem reaching households across the United States through texts, emails and phone calls that can look routine until a resident is pushed to act too quickly.

The Federal Trade Commission recently warned about scam texts that claim reward points are about to expire. Those messages often try to trigger panic by telling people they need to click a link right away or lose their points. The agency says legitimate companies generally do not ask for account information by text, and residents should not click links in unexpected messages. Instead, the FTC says to verify contact information through a phone number or website they already know is real.

The FTC also recommends not replying to suspicious texts and reporting junk messages by forwarding them to 7726, which spells SPAM, or by using the report-junk option on a phone. That advice fits the county’s warning, because AI can now give scam messages a cleaner tone and more convincing wording than older phishing attempts, making them easier to mistake for a real notice from a bank, rewards program or local business.

The FBI said on April 6 that cyber-enabled crimes defrauded Americans of nearly $21 billion in 2025, and that cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence-related complaints were among the costliest categories. The bureau’s 2024 Internet Crime Report had already shown reported losses topping $16 billion, a 33% jump from 2023. Together, those figures show why a brief county alert matters: the threat is growing fast, and the tactics are becoming more sophisticated.

For Val Verde County residents, especially older adults and anyone handling county or business accounts, the safest move is still the slowest one. Stop before responding, check whether the sender is real, avoid tapping unexpected links, refuse to share personal or financial information by text, and verify through a number or website already known to be legitimate. If the message looks off, report it, then delete it.