ABC 7: 7 On Your Side warns about July Fourth text scams

For many in the U.S., July 4th means fireworks, beaches and barbecues.

But scammers don't take the holiday off. In fact, experts say Independence Day is one of their favorite holidays for text scams.

"Everybody's going to see these scams coming," said iconectiv Chief Technology Officer Chris Drake. "There's so much being made by fraudsters. They'll never stop."

Drake, a tech security expert, says this summer's forecast is for fraud.

According to the FTC, fraudulent texts cost $330 million in losses. But that's just a fraction of the fraud.

"This is gigantic," said Drake. "Other people would say this is over $10 billion."

Fraudulent texts come in a wide variety of forms.

Some are like this seemingly legitimate message from the USPS, saying they are having trouble delivering your package due to an incorrect address.

But when you click on the link, it could infect your phone with malware or a devious cyber spyware program called a keylogger.

"Keyloggers watch you (over) the next days or weeks collecting passwords to your accounts, your bank information, your personal info," said Drake.

It's an ID thief's dream.

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