Receiving a text about a customer refund can seem like good news—until you start to suspect it may simply be a scam. That has been the case for Verizon customers who are now scratching their heads over a message about a $20 credit that was sent in response to a widespread outage this week.

Did you get a text from Verizon about a $20 account credit? You're not alone — and you're probably wondering whether it's legitimate. The short answer: Yes, the text is real. But given how common scam and phishing texts have become,

The carrier is offering a $20 credit to customers affected by a widespread and hours-long service outage on Wednesday.

During the Verizon outage, police warned that contacting 911 could be tricky. Big disruptions can have cascading effects on everyday life.