Scam Alert: Fake Your Texas Benefits Website Using Google Ads

When it comes to phishing scams, most people imagine sophisticated fake websites designed to steal personal information. Unfortunately, even poorly made scams can still trick unsuspecting users—especially when they show up on the first page of Google search results. Recently, a fraudulent site calling itself yourtexasbenefitsb.com has been appearing in Google Ads, targeting people looking for the official Texas benefits website.

At first glance, this scam looks suspicious. The layout doesn’t match the legitimate YourTexasBenefits.com site, the graphics appear low-quality, and the overall design feels unprofessional. Yet despite its sloppy appearance, it still poses a serious risk. The fraudulent site attempts to push visitors into downloading software, which could be malicious or designed to steal sensitive information from your device.

The real danger isn’t the quality of the scam—it’s the placement. Many people trust the first links they see on Google, especially when they’re labeled as ads. This makes it easy for a scam site to intercept traffic and trick those who may not look too closely at the URL before clicking.

Here are a few ways to protect yourself and others:

• Always check the URL. The official Texas benefits website is YourTexasBenefits.com. Any variation—like the scam domain yourtexasbenefitsb.com—is a red flag.
• Don’t download anything. The real site never asks you to install software. If you see a prompt to download something, it’s likely a scam.
• Report suspicious ads. If you see this fake site appearing in Google search results, report the ad. This helps reduce its visibility and protects others.
• Warn family and friends. Scammers often target people who may be less familiar with technology. Sharing this information could prevent someone you know from falling victim.

Even though this phishing attempt is poorly executed, its ability to appear on Google’s front page shows how dangerous scam advertising can be. Always double-check URLs, avoid clicking suspicious ads, and go directly to official websites whenever possible.

Staying alert is the best defense against online scams.

This is the ad from Google intended to get you to install software. The real website yourtexasbenefits.com does not use Google ads to support itself. It is a state funded website.

As you can see the website is poorly executed. The color schemes are not correct. And I suppose it is possible that someone is trying to create a support page for people but to what end? Why would someone want to help people access a government ran webpage? The issue here is it is trying to fool you into putting your information into their own system so that they can obtain access to your benefits. There is no reason to build a website like this not intending to deceive people unless it is informational only. Anything requiring you to login to this domain or get support from a representative should be viewed extremely suspiciously.

Here is the original and correct YourTexasBenefits.com page. You can see that there are no Google ads. Even if they update the scam page, you need to be aware of this and always check the links when you go to a page especially if anything looks off about it.