Are You Being ‘Smished’? Here’s How To Spot The Latest Texting Scam.

One of the biggest scams you need to be wary of comes from your cell phone.

“SMS Phishing” – a term that combines the words “SMS” and “phishing”.–Crooks try to get your personal and banking information through unsolicited text messages on your mobile device.They pretend to be a government agency, a company you may do business with, or a parcel delivery service.They will say things to get your urgent attention, such as a text message about a free gift that you must pay a small “shipping fee” to receive, or they will send you a warning about suspicious activity in your account.

Amy Nofziger, Director of Fraud Victim Support for the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), said, “We’re seeing a lot of people making these kinds of ploys to banks, saying, ‘This is Chase Bank, due to a security breach your account has been frozen, please click here to verify your information!’.”

The Federal Trade Commission reports that Americans lost $330 million to text message scams in 2022, with an average loss of $1,000.

These types of text message scams are easier to trick us because our cell phones train us to pay attention to them.”We have our devices with us 24/7.When we hear the ‘ding!” beep, we automatically check it.And now we don’t check our e-mail like we used to,” says Nofziger.

In parcel text scams, suspicious messages may seem innocuous and read something like, “USPS: We are unable to schedule a delivery for you because your package address does not have a door number.Please update online,” the FTC cites as an example.But once you click on it, the system asks for a “redelivery fee” to trick you into providing credit card information.

Especially during the holidays and this time of year, we order packages more frequently.So it may not be surprising to receive an email from your shipping company saying that your package is delayed!

If in doubt, call the source instead of relying on text messages.If you do think there is a problem with your shipment, package, item, bank account – simply call the company at the number you have.Then check it out this way.

Stephanie Benoit-Kurtz, lead professor of cybersecurity in the School of Business and Information Technology at the University of Phoenix, said, “It’s best to be contacted through the company’s original Web site or phone number rather than providing account information, logins and password information through a fake link.”

How to Recognize “SMS Phishing” Messages

“Text scam” messages don’t look any different than any other text message, but there are a few signs that can alert you that something is not right.Here’s what to look for:

See how many people received your text message.

If you receive text messages about free gifts or suspicious activity that have also been sent to multiple people, stay alert.This is an immediate red flag and you should absolutely delete it and block the number immediately!

Be alert to unsolicited messages that ask you for information.

While a regular request will tell you the information you signed up to receive, spam is more likely to ask for that information.When they ask you to leave the platform or ask for your personal information, that should be your number one red flag.Nothing is more important than your personal and financial information.

Remain skeptical of any action you must take immediately.

The bad guys want you to have no time to think, so be sure to take a deep breath and think hard about what you’re being asked to do.The sense of urgency is “now” and they want you to send a check, buy a gift card and provide information, or log in to your account through this link.

How to Block “SMS Phishing” Messages

Once you find a “phishing” message, do not leave it in your e-mail folder.Please take the following steps to prevent problems in the future:

Block or filter unsolicited messages.

You can filter messages from unknown senders on your Apple phone by going to Settings and then Messages.Scroll down until you see “Filter unknown senders” and select it.

On your Android phone, go to Settings and then to Block Numbers.Turn on the “Unknown” option to block private or unrecognized numbers from contacting you.

Filtering out this information is “a great tool that people can use to give themselves a little warning.

Report text message phishing.

USPS recommends attaching a screenshot of the text message showing the sender’s phone number and the date it was sent, then send it to [email protected].

For unsolicited messages on your iPhone that do not belong to your address book, click on the “Report Spam” option that appears and then click on “Delete and Report Spam”.On Android phones, click on the person you want to block, then click on “More Options” and select “Block and Report Spam” from there.

In general, you can forward suspicious emails to 7726 (SPAM).That way, your wireless provider can learn to block similar spam for you.You can also report it to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

What if I have been “text scammed”?

If you are caught in an “SMS phishing” scam, don’t panic.There are still steps you can take to minimize your losses.

If you click on a link you think is suspicious, check your computer for malware immediately.And ignore any follow-up text messages this person may send you, even if they seem friendly.

Stop communicating because at some point they will ask you to visit a link or help you with your device.

Be sure to call your bank about fraudulent transactions or security breaches so they can investigate.

If you believe you have been a victim of fraud, it is important that you report it immediately to a financial institution or organization.You may also contact the state attorney general’s office to report the matter.