Bogus Text Promises to Raise Money for Breast Cancer

As the founder of Upstate Chihuahua Rescue, Christy Keller doesn't have a lot of free time on her hands. With dozens of four-legged friends to feed and care for, most of them with disabilities, caring for others is something she has little time to do. So when she recently got a text message saying her carrier would donate $1 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for each person she forwarded it to, she figured why not.

"I thought by forwarding it and taking a few seconds out of my day would help," Keller said.

The text pulled Christy in because of it's message. It said, "What if it was your grandmother, your mother, daughter, sister, niece, aunt, cousin, or your best friend who had breast cancer. How would you feel. Everytime this message is sent, your carrier will donate $1 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Verizon, Sprint/Nextel, T-Mobile, AT&Tm and Metro PCS are all taking part in this race som please forward this back to me and everyone in your phone if you have a heart. If you can send all the nasty forwards then you can surely send this. It'll take 10 seconds of your time. Please forward.”

Christy knows just how it would feel if someone she loved had cancer. Her sister recently died of cervical cancer at just 32-years-old.

"That really hit home," she said.

Christy actually is one of my dear friends and and we talk by text message several times a week. But when she sent me this latest text message I noticed the logo looked legitimate but something told me it just wasn't right. So I asked Susan G. Komen For The Cure about the message and they told me they believed it was a hoax. To donate by text to Susan G. Komen click here. So did Christy's cell phone provider AT&T. The company said:

"Cell phone spam comes from many sources - email, short codes and other wireless numbers, and it is often sent indiscriminately to large groups for a variety of reasons, including pranks. There is no additional charge associated with forwarding this message beyond normal text messaging charges in accordance with a customer's plan. "

When I told Christy she was disgusted. Now she wants others to think twice before passing on a similar message of hope.

"I am very disappointed and I hope the Susan G. Komen Foundation can get to the bottom of it as well," she said.

AT&T told News Channel 7 their fraud department is investigating the text Keller received.

Bogus text messages like the one Keller received thankfully didn't cost her anything but there are plenty of texts that can. The Federal Trade Commission says it's likely someone is trying to steal your personal information if you get a message warning about a problem with your bank account. They warn you to never give out personal information to someone you don't trust.

How do you stop unwanted messages? The Better Business Bureau says you should:
-Activate spam filters by calling your provider or logging onto their website
-Change your default e-mail address
-Don't click on links in spam text messages