Users wrote, in late-2024: “If a text comes to you that Trump is arrested, do not open it. It will damage your bank account.” Tell all of your friends.”
Online copypasta is spreading a warning about opening a scam email or text message that states U.S. Presiden-elect Donald Trump has been detained. According to the claim made, clicking or opening the link in the message would give scammers full access to recipients’ accounts. The warning began to circulate around Nov. 13, 2024 or shortly before, just a few days after Trump’s reelection triumph and several months after his indictments for a wide range of criminal accusations.
Snopes received several reader inquiries regarding the warning. One reader asked: “Is the scam true about a message that Trump was arrested? And if I click on it will they scam me and gain access to my bank account?” Another reader posted a pasted-in version of this rumor, which claimed: “Warning!” If you receive a text saying that Trump was in jail, don’t read it. It could damage your account. Tell all your buddies.”
X users spread the rumor. A person even posted (archived), “HEADS up! If you receive a text saying that Trump has been detained, don’t read it. It could damage your account. Tell all your buddies. Delete this immediately. There may be nothing there, but the source is reliable.”
A Facebook user also posted it with a bright-red background and wrote (archived), Warning! You should not open the text message that Trump had been arrested. It will try to attack your bank.”
The warning, however is a fake. The warning is a hoax. We haven’t been able to locate screenshots or transcripts from a real text message matching this description. This hoax is similar in nature to one reported by us in October 2016. That hoax falsely claimed that clicking the picture of Trump within a social network post titled ‘Donald Trump Arrested’ would install malware on user devices.
We received 20+ emails from readers. We also reviewed many social media posts, including their comments. The messages warned about the dangers that could be posed by interacting or reading the “Trump is arrested” text. In none of the comments, emails or posts, was a screenshot, or transcript, of the alleged message. The emails, posts, and one YouTube user archived all stated that the information was passed on by a family or friend. We could not determine who began the hoax.
Further searches online, including Reddit.com with its r/Scams Community — which is always dependable — turned up no credible discussion of the purported scam.
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What to know about text scams
In spite of what some users said, consumers can not be scammed when they simply open and read a SMS. To be successful in a scam, the scammers often need the recipients to reply or click on links.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission released a full guide about text message scams. The main focus of the guide is that scammers use text messages to steal consumer’s personal and banking information. If readers provide personal or financial details, we recommend they report the text messages using the FTC’s instructions at the bottom. Also, we suggest that you contact your bank or credit company to discuss the matter.
If you have additional information regarding the alleged scam “Trump arrest” text message, we would love to hear from you.
