Online and text message scams are on the rise.

Tim Harrington lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, and told the Scripps News Group in Tampa he started noticing them a few years ago.

"It’s just gotten progressively worse since. Like it’s, it’s completely out of control," said Harrington.

Former law enforcement officer turned cybersecurity expert and now principal owner of Equitas Cyber, Edith Santos, has seen the increase.

"The scams have been pretty much the same, what’s evolved is the execution of those scams using technology," said Santos.

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The Scripps News Group also spoke with Chad Burney, Chief Financial Officer for GTE Financial, about the latest ways scams have evolved.

"One of th

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