Cell phone users nationwide are receiving suspicious text messages that claim to be from Target. The texts tell consumers they won a drawing for free gift card... and all they have to do is click a link and enter their address and phone number.

Unfortunately, the gift card drawing is fake. And the texts are just a way to collect personal info for shady advertisers.

About the scam:

Fake gift card website.

The text messages vary, but all contain an offer of a gift card, a URL to visit and PIN to enter on the website. A typical example is below:

"Your entry in our drawing WON you a free $1000 Target giftcard! Enter "917" at www.target.com.tgrz.biz to claim it and we can ship it to you immediately"
 

The text's URL leads to a website that is branded with Target's colors and its mascot dog Bullseye. You are asked to enter the PIN and an email address. Then, you are taken to a form and instructed to fill out your name, cell number and mailing address.

One recipient reported completing the form and receiving a second PIN in return. The confirmation message instructed her to wait for a follow-up text and enter that new PIN at the website address she received. The text turned out to be promoting a horoscope website, and no mention was made of the Target gift card.  

More information

See BBB.org's complete scam directory for more information about breaking scams in your area.